He's regarded as a doyen of British humour.
Source: tatoeba (11157161)
Doyen
/ˈdɔɪ.ən/
Synonyms for "doyen" (43 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (9)
Strong matches (13)
Related words (21)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: artist, authority, authority, bell cow, bellwether.
- Sentence evidence is available for doyen, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, wordnet, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "doyen".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "doyen"
Keep "doyen" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "doyen" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "doyen", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "doyen" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesMore specific
7 entriesdepartment doyeneconomics doyenfaculty doyenmedieval studies doyenneuroscience doyenphilosophy doyenuniversity doyen
Collocations
6 entriesacademic doyendepartment doyendoyen of humanitiesdoyen of scienceleading doyensenior doyen
Inflections
2 entriesDerivations
2 entriesSample sentences
9 total sentences available.
At every turn, Collyers's aggressive new management in London was out-maneuvering and out promoting the double doyens of the rarefied art auction world. Old-timers at Collyers referred to Christie's and Sotheby's as “the Cow and the Sow,” lumping them together in frequent attitudes of disdain, in an attempt to make up for decades of being the brunt of bad jokes.
Source: wiktionary
Conant's sense of science's world-historic mission did not especially endear him to Harvard's doyens, most of whom still operated with a liberal arts college model of the university in which the humanities reigned supreme and even the natural sciences were treated more as teaching than research subjects.
Source: wiktionary
On the domain level, two doyens, called “Lords of the Land” were entitled to some further specific prerogatives, including the right to lead rituals on behalf of all the villages of the domain (i.e. the domain of the clan of the doyen and, therefore, the clan considered the founder of the oldest village).
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 9 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "doyen"?
Closest matches include artist, authority, authority, bell cow, bellwether.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "doyen"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.