as in ambassador
technical
a person (such as a diplomat) who has complete power to do business for a government
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Recent Examples of plenipotentiary
All empires have, like the Roman Empire, been… The American System and the World Organization
On the day our plenipotentiaries exchange their full powers, an immortal date will be inscribed in American diplomatic history.
—
Ezequiel Padilla, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2024
These succeeded to the extent that a meeting was brought about in 1880 between plenipotentiaries of the three belligerents and the American Ministers accredited to those countries on board an American naval vessel in the harbor of Arica.
—Edwin M. Borchard, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2011
The hope of students of Latin-American affairs that the present protocol marks the termination of this bitter controversy may be somewhat tempered by the realization that this is not the first time that a protocol of adjustment has been signed by plenipotentiaries.
—Edwin M. Borchard, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2011
Walpole’s most frequent correspondent was Horace Mann, the British plenipotentiary in Florence, Italy.
—Catherine Ostler, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2022
Then came Bob, the king of Thailand’s valet plenipotentiary.
—Alejandro Varela, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019
Morris was eventually the United States’ plenipotentiary to France and spent years afterward touring Europe and having affairs there.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 4 June 2019
Ezequiel Padilla, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2024
These succeeded to the extent that a meeting was brought about in 1880 between plenipotentiaries of the three belligerents and the American Ministers accredited to those countries on board an American naval vessel in the harbor of Arica.
—Edwin M. Borchard, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2011
The hope of students of Latin-American affairs that the present protocol marks the termination of this bitter controversy may be somewhat tempered by the realization that this is not the first time that a protocol of adjustment has been signed by plenipotentiaries.
—Edwin M. Borchard, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2011
Walpole’s most frequent correspondent was Horace Mann, the British plenipotentiary in Florence, Italy.
—Catherine Ostler, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2022
Then came Bob, the king of Thailand’s valet plenipotentiary.
—Alejandro Varela, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019
Morris was eventually the United States’ plenipotentiary to France and spent years afterward touring Europe and having affairs there.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 4 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plenipotentiary
Noun
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Not content with scrapping his role as a club ambassador, United could look into selling Fergie as a commodity.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Senate confirms Matt Whitaker as Trump's ambassador to NATO.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Russia has not permitted U.S. diplomats to visit Hubbard in detention and has refused to say where he is being held, according to the State Department and his family.—
Patrick Reevell,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The Kennedy Family's Ties to U.S. Politics The Kennedy family has long been entwined with American political history, producing a lineage of lawmakers, diplomats, and public servants spanning multiple generations.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The letter outlines Iran's views on the current situation following Trump's message, which had been delivered via a UAE emissary on March 12.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
-
President Trump and his emissaries proposed a 30-day ceasefire in the fighting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In the 1520s Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal legate of England, drove forward a similar program of moral and financial reform, winding up a further 29 monasteries.—
Crawford Gribben,
WSJ,
29 Apr. 2022
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The Franciscan Plano Carpini, who traveled the empire as papal legate in 1246, described a draconian tax collector demanding one in three boys from every Russian family, as well as unmarried women.—
Colin Thubron,
The New York Review of Books,
6 July 2021
Noun
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Russian President Vladimir Putin's close adviser Kirill Dmitriev is expected to visit Washington this week for talks on Ukraine with President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, two U.S. officials tell Axios.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
2 Apr. 2025
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Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy who has been heavily involved in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel as well as those to stop the Ukraine war, has advocated for diplomatic, rather than military, solutions.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Tensions between the two countries rose in January over accepting flights of immigrants deported from the U.S. Noem sat down Thursday morning with the country's foreign minister and was set to meet with Colombia's leader and police to discuss efforts to fight organized crime.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Mar. 2025
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Earlier this week, the Lithuanian foreign minister visited Washington, D.C., to express her country’s eagerness for more Americans.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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So far, Florence has not come forward with any further information other than a 2008 statement sent by his attorney, Neil Rosenberg, to private detective Don Corbett.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Zoom out: Students and academics of color appear to be disproportionately facing arrests and threats of deportation, Samah Sisay, a Center for Constitutional Rights attorney, recently told the Guardian.—
Esteban L. Hernandez,
Axios,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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