as in elder statesman
the senior member of a group
the revered éminence grise of Civil War historians
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Recent Examples of éminence grise
But none have matched JPMorgan, which, under the leadership of Wall Street’s eminence grise Jamie Dimon, has thrived.
—
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for éminence grise
Noun
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Alongside the younger performers, Jacobson includes cameos from elder statesmen like the writer Richard Price, whose 2008 novel Lush Life was an ode to the Lower East Side, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Dune), who spends the whole movie on a bed watching reruns of Kung Fu.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Mar. 2025
-
First off, Conan has become somewhat of an elder statesman in comedy and television.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The veteran Rojas has stepped in for the Dodgers many times before.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
-
People are losing veterans’ benefits and Social Security.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
At Indiana University, Fred worked for the dean of economics to earn his way through school.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2025
-
When she was named dean of the University of Tulsa’s business school in 2021, Taylor put her varied background to work launching entrepreneurship initiatives for Cherokee woman.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In contrast, many Indigenous and Eastern traditions honor menopausal women as wise elders, stepping into their most powerful and respected stage of life.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
-
There’s a vast generation gap between immigrants and their Americanized offspring; Indian and Pakistani elders harbor prejudices dating back to partition.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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