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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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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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 doyen 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 Back home in Budapest, fellow academics and foreign diplomats marvel at the doyen of Hungarian foreign policy who doesn’t speak Hungarian. — Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2026 Buñuel, Bergman, Éric Rohmer, Satyajit Ray, Miloš Forman, and plenty of Andrzej Wajda and Miklós Jancsó—the Hungarian doyen of the long take. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026 One of the doyens of Portuguese coaching, who has managed each of the big three in their home country and led Al Hilal to the title in 2023-24 after a 34-game unbeaten streak, was personally convinced by Ronaldo to cross the divide. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for doyen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for doyen

Noun

And a quieter sky genuinely matters to veterans with PTSD, to parents of sensory-sensitive kids, and to every dog that spends the Fourth wedged under a bed.

— Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Condrey is a writer, veteran and formerly homeless resident of San Diego.

— David Lee Condrey, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2026

Definition of veteran

Noun

Ian Williamson, dean of the business school, said the new federal policy played a role in the decision as well as student scheduling preferences.

— Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
But Erwin Chemerinsky, Berkeley’s law school dean, said Trump still won most of the cases the court decided either after oral arguments or through emergency appeals the administration brought.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

While choosing the layout, the tribe hosted listening sessions with community members and elders.

— Sarah Liese, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
More important for the purposes of the Social Media Minimum Age’s failure is that Aussie youth undeniably know technology better than do their elders in Parliament.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 July 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 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of doyen

noun

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