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.

I looked at Dr. P. With one hand obscuring her lips, she spoke quietly with an older doctor, the éminence grise of the department, who had recently been summoned to help with my situation.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2023

Ray Liotta bulldogs along amusingly as the western’s producer, while John Malkovich goes apoplectic as some kind of éminence grise.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

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

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