elder stateswoman
Americannoun
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an influential female citizen, often a retired high official, whose advice is sought by government leaders.
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any influential female member of a company, group, etc., whose advice is respected.
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.
At 36, she has completed the transition from wunderkind to elder stateswoman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
More than a decade and a half after her first mixtape, Minaj, 41, is an elder stateswoman: still a cantankerous figure in the genre, and still a sometime hitmaker.
From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
At her final World Cup, Rapinoe was the elder stateswoman on a team that had 14 players appearing for the first time in the tournament.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
The Grammys enlisted pop music's elder stateswoman to introduce Sam Smith, a nonbinary performer, and Kim Petras, a trans woman, on the occasion of their history-making Grammy win for their chart-topping duet "Unholy."
From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2023
There’s something moving about seeing someone who has been a beloved elder stateswoman of the entertainment industry for decades back when she was a fresh-faced youngster.
From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2019
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.
