elder

1
2
as in superior
one who is above another in rank, station, or office as your elder in the company, he is within his rights to tell you what to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in ancestor
one who is older than another it wouldn't hurt to show a little more respect for your elders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elder Democratic elders have sought to cast blame on Republicans for the shutdown, arguing it could be averted if the GOP agreed to attach provisions to the CR enacting healthcare reforms. Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 11 Oct. 2025 Wrestling fans who grew up watching with their elders can now share this moment with the next generation. Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 Orange led a short story workshop last weekend at San Francisco’s Mechanics’ Institute in exchange for funding to support Native elders. Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2025 Sources of succor and disquiet—currents which Winter has ridden in life and art—each female elder is a maternal presence who offers complementary textures to the tapestry Winter has woven from threads of experience and sheer imagination. Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
  • The adult passenger in the vehicle was also arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer, and three separate warrants, according to the release.
    Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • More than a third of SNAP households in Michigan have older adults while nearly half include children.
    Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Clotworthy and then-partner Michael Fabila escaped the flow and went back to work for much of the next 24 hours blocking traffic on Highway 101, actions their CHP superiors said saved lives.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The ensign, who had neglected to check the tides before entering the harbor, immediately reported his failure to his superiors, who fired him and hauled him before a court-martial.
    Davis Winkie, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The ancestors were taken from the Riverside Cemetery site near the Menominee River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between 1961 and 1963 during a joint excavation led by anthropologists Robert Retzenthaler for the Milwaukee Public Museum and Robert Hrushka for the Oshkosh Public Museum.
    Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Furthermore, the analyses consistently position the new species as an ancestor of the entire dyrosaurid group.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Amaney Jamal, dean of the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs, said Mamdani's political rise is breaking the ceiling for other Muslims in many ways.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Chung, the former university dean, said there are virtually no chances for North Korea to give up its nuclear program.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But Italian brainrot’s invisible massiveness, totally foreign to oldsters but beloved by children across continents and languages, is a compelling and chilling showcase of our frazzled internet culture landscape.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Uncle Herschel, the seated oldster in Cracker Barrel’s iconic logo, is not only a character from corporate lore, the founder’s real-life uncle, but a representative, even an aspirational, figure for a certain kind of American.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The constantly shifting allegiances are meant to form a twisty yarn in the aggregate, though the effect is largely just confusing — especially when Helen gets a subplot investigating her own past that distracts from her role as the chilly, withholding boss.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2025
  • In the real world, a boss must set aside their love for their dog and look at things objectively.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Two veteran data journalists are launching a new investigative publication to cover rising authoritarianism from the shadowy corners of the internet.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Under the command of the unflappable Ernest McSorley, its veteran captain, the Fitz broke shipping records and tallied enormous profits.
    Kevin Duchschere, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • What had long been the province of geriatrics quickly morphed into something performative and hyper-masculine, with podcasters hyping testosterone injections, influencers displaying stacks of supplements, and billionaires interested in blood plasma exchanges as a way to live longer.
    Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 20 Sep. 2025
  • With Spinal Tap, the joke never gets old, even if the hilarious-as-ever heavy metal trio is now bordering on geriatric.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on elder

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!