EMINENCE GRISE Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

éminence grise

noun

ā-mē-näⁿs-ˈgrēz

Definition of éminence grise

as in elder statesman

the senior member of a group the revered éminence grise of Civil War historians

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of éminence grise But none have matched JPMorgan, which, under the leadership of Wall Street’s eminence grise Jamie Dimon, has thrived. — Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024 Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him. — Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise. — Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022 That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory. — Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021 In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise. — Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for éminence grise

Noun

Yesterday’s punk, grunge, and rebel-outsider upstarts have an uncanny way of evolving into today’s elder statesmen of respectable infamy.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
The squad’s elder statesmen set standards on the pitch and in the dressing room to help their more junior colleagues along their journey.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of elder statesman

Noun

The tech giant is donating 130,000 glasses to legally blind US veterans.

— J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
The hedge fund veteran and Cabinet secretary chose a starting point for his analysis that downplayed the bond market’s reaction to Trump’s presidency.

— Kevin Breuninger,Matt Peterson, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of veteran

Noun

Iger is married to broadcast journalist Willow Bay, a former model who is dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Alexia Rolle, the dean of career and technical education at Miami Dade College, has seen how apprenticeships can change lives.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

Borges may not be able to see the scenery, but delights in every scrap of local color, to a degree that the American — tasked with describing everything to his elder, in suitably lyrical terms — finds quite wearisome.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
One bathroom had no toilet seat and there was no lighting in a stairwell used by elders unsure of their footing.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of elder

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“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of éminence grise

noun

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