statesman
Americannoun
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statesmen
plural
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a person who is experienced in the art of government or versed in the administration of government affairs.
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a person who exhibits great wisdom and ability in directing the affairs of a government or in dealing with important public issues.
noun
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a political leader whose wisdom, integrity, etc, win great respect
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a person active and influential in the formulation of high government policy, such as a cabinet member
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a politician
Synonym Usage
See politician.
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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statesmanshipnoun
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stateswomannoun
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superstatesmannoun
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statesman-likeadjective
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statesmanlikeadjective
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statesmanlyadjective
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unstatesmanlikeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Hamilton was a great statesman, but his political economy wasn’t the uncontested expression of American republicanism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The club have mainly targeted players aged 20 and under from abroad, having already recruited Jaouen, Sean Steur, Bazoumana Toure and Aladji Bamba, so Hornicek will feel like something of an elder statesman in comparison.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
And now, with championship aspirations entering his 13th season, and fifth in Los Angeles, Mack is basking in his role as the Chargers’ elder statesman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Letterman is enjoying his elder statesman status with an interview show on Netflix, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” that he makes on his own schedule.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
He was a soldier, a diplomat, a statesman.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Malick Thiaw was among the elder statesmen as he led Newcastle out as captain on his 25th birthday and this side will certainly need youthful vigour to play Jaissle's intense brand of football.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The world will be a better place when statesmen and their cronies routinely submit their strategic brainstorms to an LLM, free of wishful thinking or tunnel vision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The elder statesmen of proto punk isn’t just another act on the Coachella bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Compare them to the grizzled, huffy statesmen who previously played those roles, especially in the 2002 ITV adaptation.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
In January 1919, Allied statesmen met near Paris to discuss a final peace settlement.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
