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.

“It feels more historic,” Peter Baker, the New York Times’ éminence grise of presidential coverage, said recently of Trump’s forays into international affairs.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026

He too was sage-like, however feistily so, in his later years, an éminence grise who in 2017 was awarded the Kyoto Prize, the closest a musicologist can get to a Nobel.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2022

Dorothy Rodgers, the widow of Richard Rodgers and an éminence grise in New York State arts funding, argues that Sondheim, as a “commercial” composer, doesn’t merit public funds.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2021

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