PAST MASTER Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

past master

noun

Definition of past master

as in expert

a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field a movie director who was widely regarded as the past master of suspense

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Example Sentences

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 past master There is a certainty to her sentences that sets her alongside past masters (your William Trevors, your Anton Chekhovs) and a singular beauty to her observations. — Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024 And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro. — Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023 The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023 Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing? — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021 Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan. — Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020 When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for past master

Noun

These experts assign ratings after analyzing a company's financials and ability to consistently pay dividends while also seeking capital appreciation.

— TipRanks.com Staff, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
Leading the way in court There are dozens of cases across the country surrounding the legal status of prediction sites, and experts believe the matter will eventually be decided by the Supreme Court.

— Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of expert

Noun

Related Articles Liberation of Flowers is debuting with three scents developed with master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, who created Polo Blue for Ralph Lauren, Burberry London, Amber Absolute for Tom Ford, Thierry Mugler’s Aura and more.

— Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
The service got its name from the original Mechanical Turk, an 18th century chess-playing robot that was actually controlled by a human chess master.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of master

Noun

Pamela Herd and Donald Moynihan, two of the foremost scholars of American public administration, have identified three key types of administrative costs the government imposes on citizens.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
However, some scholars have noted that the author, speaker, historical circumstances, and date of composition are difficult to determine since the psalm lacks references to any historical events in ancient Israel.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of scholar

Noun

Still, the question of what Ebel was doing with his adepts swept through Prussia, dominating the newspapers that had only recently begun to emerge from their eighteenth-century chronicling of obligations to a more modern publicizing role.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Lest things get predictable, Tasjan’s adept at letting the music battle with the lyrics in a way that hints at how any experience is far more complex than we are led to believe.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026

Definition of adept

Noun

And for all the Padres’ successes under private equity wizard Peter Seidler, his biggest bet went bust, the ‘23 Padres missing the playoffs despite his approving MLB’s third-highest payroll.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
He a notoriously vain, boastful and fame-obsessed wizard well versed in Memory Charms who is recruited by Dumbledore as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of wizard

Noun

Stomp-and-holler virtuoso Noah Kahan had to cancel his July appearance at Citi Field when storm clouds threatened.

— Matthew Schneier, Curbed, 27 Aug. 2026
Roy Clark could show up at Felix and Oscar’s New York apartment in The Odd Couple to demonstrate his virtuoso pickin’ skills and be summoned to Burbank to sub in for Johnny Carson as a guest host of The Tonight Show.

— David Kamp, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of virtuoso

Noun

The scents are housed in bottles designed by artist Ashley Longshore that are meant to be collectible.

— Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
On Wednesday, lawyers for Gomez filed a motion to dismiss the artist from the suit, and said she should have never been dragged into the case in the first place.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of artist

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past master

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“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of past master

noun

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