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

states' rights democratic party, states-general, statesboro, stateside, statesider, statesman, statesmanlike, statesmanly, statesmanship, statesville, stateswoman

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

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of statesman

Usage note

Examples from the Web for statesman

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} statesman

statesman

noun plural -men

Word Origin and History for statesman

statesman

British Dictionary definitions for statesman