grande dame
noun
plural grandes dames
ˈgrän-ˈdäm(z) 
also grande dames
ˈgrän-ˈdäm(z)
also grande dames
ˈgrän-ˈdäm(z)
1
: a usually elderly woman of great prestige or ability
Examples of grande dame in a Sentence
the city's grandes dames still hold considerable sway in its cultural life
Recent Examples on the Web
Starring Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Laura Dern and Carol Burnett as grande dame Norma Dellacorte, the series plunges into a world of vast wealth and intrigue.
—
Valli Herman, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
Final chapter for grande dame This fire may have been the final nail for the Georgian Revival building that was funded by residents of the once-prosperous mining community nearly a century ago.
—Vincent Medina, Sacramento Bee, 16 June 2024
The nearly 80-year-old former first lady and reigning grande dame of the capital sat for a portrait draped in a crocheted shawl, her curls peeking out from under her signature turban.
—Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 11 June 2024
Meanwhile, the grande dame of the cozy mystery, Agatha Christie, actually touched on real-world problems all the time in her prose.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grande dame 
Valli Herman, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
Final chapter for grande dame This fire may have been the final nail for the Georgian Revival building that was funded by residents of the once-prosperous mining community nearly a century ago.
—Vincent Medina, Sacramento Bee, 16 June 2024
The nearly 80-year-old former first lady and reigning grande dame of the capital sat for a portrait draped in a crocheted shawl, her curls peeking out from under her signature turban.
—Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 11 June 2024
Meanwhile, the grande dame of the cozy mystery, Agatha Christie, actually touched on real-world problems all the time in her prose.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grande dame
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grande dame.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Grande dame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grande%20dame. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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