diplomat

noun

dip·​lo·​mat ˈdi-plə-ˌmat How to pronounce diplomat (audio)
Synonyms of diplomatnext
: one employed or skilled in diplomacy
a foreign diplomat

Examples of diplomat in a Sentence

The President will be meeting with foreign diplomats. He's a talented architect but a poor diplomat.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Jefferson even hosted an iftar dinner for a Tunisian diplomat in 1806. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026 The District of Columbia's most affluent suburb is McLean, home to diplomats and spies. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 July 2026 In May of last year, Leo said the dignity of migrants must be respected, speaking to world diplomats and invoking his own immigrant background. — Connor Greene, Time, 4 July 2026 Moody says the works were acquired by his late father, Robert Behymer Moody, while serving as a US diplomat in China during the 1940s. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for diplomat

Word History

Etymology

French diplomate, back-formation from diplomatique

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of diplomat was in 1813

Rhymes for diplomat

See All Rhymes for diplomat

Browse Nearby Words

diploma piece
diplomat
diplomate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diplomat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diplomat. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

diplomat

noun
dip·​lo·​mat ˈdip-lə-ˌmat How to pronounce diplomat (audio)
: a person employed or skilled in diplomacy

More from Merriam-Webster on diplomat

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for diplomat

Nglish: Translation of diplomat for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All