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.
If McIlroy’s not the face of golf, he is undeniably its statesman, a little grayer and wiser than a champion his age should be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Mr. Orbán was ultimately more impresario than statesman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
That he’d become something, in other words, resembling a statesman.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
It was originally bought by Khalil Sherif Pasha, widely known as Khalil-Bey, an Ottoman statesman and diplomat posted in Paris and then Vienna.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
She was also an advocate for “free love,” a blackmailer, an accused bigamist, possibly a prostitute, and a spiritualist who claimed she channeled the spirit of Demosthenes, a statesman from ancient Greece.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
