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.
France on Thursday bid farewell to former prime minister Lionel Jospin, with President Emmanuel Macron leading a national tribute to the influential left‑wing statesman credited with major welfare reforms.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
That he’d become something, in other words, resembling a statesman.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
Here is the quintessential Westerner about to transform himself from Honest Abe the rail-splitter into Father Abraham, the avuncular statesman capable of handling the looming crisis over disunion and slavery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Howard Wilkinson, now 82 and a long-time elder statesman of the game, was the last Englishman to lift the title with Leeds United in 1991-92, but in the league's previous guise as the First Division.
From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026
We consider George Washington a statesman because he spent tax money on widely admired programs and did not enrich himself as president.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
