as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a movie director who was widely regarded as the past master of suspense
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Recent Examples of past master
There is a certainty to her sentences that sets her alongside past masters (your William Trevors, your Anton Chekhovs) and a singular beauty to her observations.
—
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023
The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023
Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021
Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023
The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023
Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021
Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past master
Noun
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The increase — up from 1 in 36 children in 2020 — continues a long-term trend that experts have largely attributed to better understanding of and screening for the condition.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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For something more immersive, the resort brings in expert wellness practitioners for week-long retreats.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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He was enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies, but currently does not have lawful status in the country, officials said.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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That’s cute, today’s masters of the universe will chuckle while patting your head.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Amenabar seems to root his screenplay on conjectures about the writer’s sexuality, which many scholars consider latterday projection.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Some scholars suggested Trump may be referring to testing weapons delivery systems, not the warheads themselves.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The apple-munching Euphoria actor slipped into Tilda Swinton’s plush period dress from the ravishing 1992 drama, joined by Jeff Goldblum, Wicked’s wizard himself, in sparkly Gucci.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
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Three years after their wonderfully creepy first feature film Coraline, the stop-motion wizards at Laika released this horror comedy about an 11-year-old boy who can communicate with the dead.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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He was investigated by the SS on the orders of Heinrich Himmler but convinced his investigators, all adepts of Deutsche Physik, that he was engaged in worthwhile teaching and research.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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In the Meiji era (1868–1912), Japanese leaders built a state adept at absorbing Western know-how—drawing especially on the United Kingdom—by creating a national translation bureau, importing thousands of foreign instructors, and standardizing a technical vocabulary.—
CARL BENEDIKT FREY,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Palamides, as a physical-comedy virtuoso, loves mess—there’s a splash zone near the front, with audience members wearing plastic ponchos.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
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D’Angelo was raised in a deeply religious Pentecostal family and got his musical start in the church, becoming a virtuoso at several instruments.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Over the years, the festival has expanded to include artists, musicians, storytellers, poets, and more, all focused on a theme relevant to the social, religious, and political needs of the Louisville community and beyond.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
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Maar, an artist and photographer herself, had been Picasso's partner and muse for about seven years, and the relationship was coming to a painful close.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yann Gozlan’s psychological thriller Guru, which stars Pierre Niney as a charismatic and manipulative self-help guru, will close the festival this year.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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But the actor turned wellness and lifestyle guru is bucking the norm—first, with that photo that shared skin texture and expression lines, and now by showing, not hiding, her grays.—
Veronica Cristino,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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