diplomat

[ dip-luh-mat ]

/ ˈdɪp ləˌmæt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diplomat ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person appointed by a national government to conduct official negotiations and maintain political, economic, and social relations with another country or countries.

a person who is tactful and skillful in managing delicate situations, handling people, etc.

Nearby words

diploid, diploidy, diploma, diploma mill, diplomacy, diplomat, diplomate, diplomatic, diplomatic bag, diplomatic corps, diplomatic immunity

Origin of diplomat

1805–15; < French diplomate, back formation from diplomatique diplomatic

Can be confused

diplomat diplomate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diplomat

His plan was to one day become a diplomat, but he was losing faith in the idea of international policy as a career path.
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“That would fit into the Kremlin narrative,” says the diplomat.
Ukraine Militias Warn of Anti-Kiev Coup|Jamie Dettmer|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was a diplomat, New York governor, and vice president of the United States.
This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art|Scott Porch|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A U.S. diplomat once spoke with bitterness of the breadth of his power when negotiating with an uncooperative dictator.
This Is Obama’s U.N. Plan to Choke Off ISIS’s Recruits|Kimberly Dozier|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The diplomat said his words were an attempt “not to allow violence and escalation.”
Tension With Russia Boils Over in Kiev|Anna Nemtsova|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Actually, there is usually as much need of a diplomat here as between two nations.
If You're Going to Live in the Country|Thomas H. Ormsbee and Richmond Huntley
A Belgian diplomat in Paris related an incident he observed at Charleroi.
America's War for Humanity|Thomas Herbert Russell
This afternoon we got our things together to give our American Dip—short for diplomat—a surprise party at his rooms.
Polly the Pagan|Isabel Anderson
Trumbull declined the appointment because he preferred to remain a Senator rather than to be a diplomat.
The Life of Lyman Trumbull|Horace White
He was nothing if not a diplomat, as he showed in the present instance.
St. Peter's Umbrella|Klmn Mikszth

British Dictionary definitions for diplomat

diplomat

/ (ˈdɪpləˌmæt) /

noun

an official, such as an ambassador or first secretary, engaged in diplomacy

a person who deals with people tactfully or skilfully

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012