statesman
Americannoun
plural
statesmen-
a person who is experienced in the art of government or versed in the administration of government affairs.
-
a person who exhibits great wisdom and ability in directing the affairs of a government or in dealing with important public issues.
noun
-
a political leader whose wisdom, integrity, etc, win great respect
-
a person active and influential in the formulation of high government policy, such as a cabinet member
-
a politician
Related Words
See politician.
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
- statesman-like adjective
- statesmanlike adjective
- statesmanly adjective
- statesmanship noun
- stateswoman noun
- superstatesman noun
- unstatesmanlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of statesman
First recorded in 1585–95; state + 's 1 + -man, modeled on steersman; compare the phrase ship of state
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.
That he’d become something, in other words, resembling a statesman.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
After his presidential runs, Jackson later positioned himself as an elder statesman within the Democratic Party.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
Dimon is seen as a de facto statesman for the financial industry and had carefully maintained ties with President Trump since his return to the White House.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Even more remarkably, Will’s thought processes have resembled the French statesman Talleyrand’s description of the Bourbon kings: “They forgot nothing and they learned nothing.”
From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025
He was a leader, a "statesman" who carried our problems to those above us, even unto the White House; and in days past he had conducted the President himself about the campus.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
