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

After his historic run of presidential campaigns, Jackson went on to position himself as an elder statesman within the Democratic Party.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 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

Sir John Major is now the elder statesman among them.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

I saw my role as am elder statesman who might help them move on to the more inclusive ideas of the Congress Movement.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela