DOYEN Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

doyen

noun

ˈdȯi-ən

Definition of doyen

as in veteran

a person with long experience in a specified area considered the doyen of American art critics

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dean

the senior member of a group he's the doyen of American museum directors, and his opinion has considerable weight

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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 doyen Murray’s focus on tax measures in his quote may dampen expectations that the Labour government is about to improve the high-end TV tax credit, which industry doyens have been calling for for some time now. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026 Sorkin, Kernen and Quick have been anchoring the show together for the last 14 years, with Kernen serving as the doyen of the group, going to back to its 1995 debut. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 My first tax boss was Stephen Land, a doyen of the international tax bar in New York, now retired. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025 These are simple places, sometimes shacks, but all lively and serving great food cooked by formidable doyens, grandmothers such as Lu. — Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for doyen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for doyen

Noun

For wellness-minded readers, veterans and the parents of young athletes, how testosterone works has become more than a locker-room topic.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Reaves would be at least the 235th military veteran executed nationwide in the modern era and the 14th veteran executed under DeSantis.

— Gretchen Reynolds, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of veteran

Noun

Leadership at the university turned over last year, with the president, the dean of students and the director of Greek life all departing.

— Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Parolin, who had been Francis' top deputy but remains in the job, was considered a leading contender in the conclave that elected Leo and was recently passed over as dean of the College of Cardinals.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

Fawn Youngbear-Tibbetts, the group's executive director, said then that recordings of elders' stories on old tapes were likely melted.

— Eric Henderson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
The day of the shooting, after Roberts took his own life at the scene, while the victims were flown to the nearest hospital, an Amish elder publicly forgave Roberts before the news cameras.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of elder

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doxy

doyen

doyenne

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“Doyen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doyen. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of doyen

noun

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