statesman

[ steyts-muh n ]

/ ˈsteɪts mən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR statesman ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural states·men.

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.

RELATED WORDS

lawmaker, politician, legislator

Nearby words

Origin of statesman

1585–95; state + 's¹ + -man, modeled on steersman; compare the phrase ship of state

SYNONYMS FOR statesman

1 See politician.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR statesman ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsstates·man·like, states·man·ly, adjectivesu·per·states·man, noun, plural su·per·states·men.un·states·man·like, adjective

Usage note

See -man.

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

Examples from the Web for statesman

In Canning he found, or rather projected, “a genius, almost a universal one, an orator, a wit, a poet, a statesman.”
Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy|Michael Weiss|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Statesman and savants, builders and even priests are their servants,” intoned Time.
The Revolt Against the Masses and the Roots of Modern Liberalism|Fred Siegel|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet her call for a plebiscite smacks as much of political despair than a statesman's conviction.
Dilma Rousseff’s Dilemma|Mac Margolis|July 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian writer and statesman who changed African literature forever, has died at the age of 82.
Chinua Achebe Dies: Beyond ‘Things Fall Apart,’ And His Best Books|The Daily Beast|March 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

They remember “RN,” as they call him, as a statesman, a hero, a peacemaker.
Richard Nixon’s 100th Birthday Draws Kissinger & Others to Schmaltzy Bash|Sandra McElwaine|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The statesman felt it; it put new vigor into the despatches he wrote and the measures he devised with regard to the slave-trade.
The Personal Life Of David Livingstone|William Garden Blaikie
I met the Ohio statesman one morning at breakfast, after hearing him the night before.
Eighty Years And More; Reminiscences 1815-1897|Elizabeth Cady Stanton
A statesman and not a politician, he soon abandoned political life for the more congenial one of a medical teacher.
The History of the Medical Department of Transylvania University|Robert Peter
The notion that the Book of Daniel could only have been written by a statesman or a consummate politician is mere fancy.
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Daniel|F. W. Farrar
It was a mystery to them to find in the same man the statesman and the hero.
Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution|L. Carroll Judson

British Dictionary definitions for statesman

statesman

/ (ˈsteɪtsmən) /

noun plural -men

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

Derived Formsstatesman-like or statesmanly, adjectivestatesmanship, nounstateswoman, fem n

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

Word Origin and History for statesman

statesman

1590s, after French homme d'état; see state (n.1) + man (n.).

statesman

noun, plural states·men.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of statesman

Usage note

Examples from the Web for statesman

British Dictionary definitions for statesman

statesman

noun plural -men

Word Origin and History for statesman

statesman