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doyen

noun

Save Word

doy·en | \ ˈdȯi-ən

, -ˌ(y)en; ˈdwä-ˌyaⁿ(n)

Definition of doyen

1a : the senior member of a body or group

b : a person considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field of endeavor

2 : the oldest example of a category

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about doyen

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Did You Know?

English picked up "doyen" from French in the 17th century. The French term in turn comes from the Late Latin word decanus, which itself comes from the Greek dekanos, meaning "chief of ten." A "doyen" can be a leader of a group, such as a diplomatic corps. In this regard, the word has been used to refer to someone who is specifically or tacitly allowed to speak for that group. More broadly, a "doyen" refers to a highly skilled and respected veteran of a particular field. The feminine form of "doyen" is "doyenne."

Examples of doyen in a Sentence

He is considered the doyen of political journalists. considered the doyen of American art critics

Recent Examples on the Web Yet Sir John Curtice, the doyen of British pollsters, who has recently updated his opinion surveys for NatCen, a research institute, concludes otherwise. — Daniel Yergin, oil sector doyen CNBC Big potential, but challenges to overcome: A look at offshore wind in the U.S. — Fang and Bob Xu, the founder of ZhenFund and a doyen of the Chinese VC industry, encouraged her to take a more direct path. — These are the questions that, over the past decade or so, jazz listeners have watched Salvant — now 30, and the unrivaled doyen of young jazz vocalists — work through. — Luckily, Duke doyen Mike Krzyzewski sees the light where some of his football counterparts don’t. — In a nation where laws permit any citizen to file lawsuits against anyone perceived of immorality or tarnishing the country’s image, the 69-year-old lawyer is the profession’s doyen. — In March, Netflix canceled the sitcom One Day at a Time despite it being celebrated as a doyen of wokeness. — This is Eisenberg, after all, the doyen of the flinch and the frown. —

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doyen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.