eminence grise

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.

Alexander Hamilton, by then a New York lawyer who still played the president’s éminence grise, wanted Washington to exit as he entered: a unifying figure optimistic about the “infant nation.”

From Slate • Feb. 17, 2025

She manages to land a job as assistant to a literary agent named Edith Safer, “of the old school,” the very model of an éminence grise.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2023

There, he came into contact with Arturo de Ascanio, a lawyer by trade, who was becoming the éminence grise of the Spanish scene.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2023

Multiple experts praised his skill — Dr. Walter Straus, an associate vice president at the drug company Merck & Co., said Whitley is an "éminence grise" in pediatrics whom people trust.

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2020

Although he may have always been described as the enfant terrible of fashion, today Gaultier is one the industry’s éminence grise.

From The Guardian • Jan. 23, 2020