Definitions

elder statesman

NOUN

influential person

Synonyms

WEAK

elder important person mentor national leader starets wise old man

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But Nvidia is now in the odd position of having to play elder statesman, if only to temper some of the wilder views about AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

By the end of his run there, Kupp was a seasoned elder statesman, still contributing but also helping younger players fine-tune their game.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

Athletics elder statesman, Sir Brendan Foster, will spearhead a campaign to get millions walking or running regularly.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2025

Mr Morrison described Mr Adams as "an elder statesman".

From BBC • May 9, 2025

It was used in reference to some nice old poopy elder statesman who’d made a fortune in the stock market and then gone to Washington to be an adviser to President Roosevelt.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger