grandee

American  

[gran-dee] / grænˈdi /

noun

1. a man of high social position or eminence, especially a Spanish or Portuguese nobleman.

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grandee British  

/ ɡrænˈdiː /

noun

1. a Spanish or Portuguese prince or nobleman of the highest rank

2. a man of great rank or eminence

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Other Word Forms

• grandeeship noun

Etymology

Origin of grandee

1590–1600; < Spanish, Portuguese grande, with ending assimilated to -ee

Example Sentences

When nationally prominent figures die, members of China’s top leadership and retired party grandees send wreaths and, in certain cases, personally attend the funerals.

From The Wall Street Journal

An even more welcome addition to our already bulging shelves is the belated arrival of a largely complete studio discography of Britain’s greatest conductor, and certainly its most self-possessed: the musical grandee Sir Thomas Beecham.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Cheever began to understand that his stories came at least partly from the tension between his private feelings of shame and the effort to maintain his respectability as a literary grandee and paterfamilias.

From The Wall Street Journal

One grandee tells me: "We need to regain our senses and remember we were totally thrashed last summer and have not yet been forgiven. More shenanigans won't help."

From BBC

The former Olympic athlete, who has died at the age of 84, had an urbane manner and "grandee" style, although it belied more humble origins.

From BBC

Related Words

• aristocrat
• blue blood
• emperor
• patrician