ambassador

noun

am·​bas·​sa·​dor am-ˈba-sə-dər How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-,
im-,
-ˌdȯr,
-ˈbas-dər
Synonyms of ambassadornext
1
: an official envoy
especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment
She's the American ambassador to Italy.
2
a
: an authorized representative or messenger
b
: an unofficial representative
traveling abroad as ambassadors of goodwill
ambassadorial
am-ˌba-sə-ˈdȯr-ē-əl How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-
im-
adjective
ambassadorship
am-ˈba-sə-dər-ˌship How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-
im-
-ˌdȯr-
-ˈbas-dər-
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of ambassador in a Sentence

Embassy officials met with the ambassador. a beloved entertainer who has often been sent abroad by the president as his country's goodwill ambassador
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.
The series centers Wyler, who is described as having decades of diplomatic experience around the world, particularly in the Middle East, owing in part to her husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) serving as the American ambassador to Lebanon. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024 Trump’s first Cabinet pick was Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, to serve as ambassador to the United Nations. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024 President Obama, for example, named 31 bundlers as ambassadors during his second term, according to a 2017 investigation by the Center for Public Integrity. —Taylor Giorno, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024 The show, which became a hit on Netflix after Season One, stars Keri Russell as the American ambassador to the United Kingdom. —Leigh Nordstrom, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ambassador 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ambassatour, ambassiatour "diplomatic emissary, envoy, messenger," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French ambaxiatour, ambassatour (continental Middle French also embassator, ambassadeur), borrowed from Medieval Latin ambasciātor, ambassātor, from ambiasciāre "to communicate, send a message, send an envoy" (derivative of Late Latin ambascia, ambassia "mission, errand, task, journey") + Latin -tor, agent suffix — more at embassy

Note: The current form of the word with -d-, which becomes common in early Modern English, is dependent on Middle French (and French) ambassadeur, borrowed from Italian ambasciatore, probably borrowed from Old Occitan ambayssador. Regarding the variation between initial am- and em-, see the note at embassy. As the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, remarks, the form embassador was frequent in early Modern English, up to ca. 1700, and sporadic thereafter; the prevalence of the am- form is probably due at least in part to the influence of French ambassadeur. Though ambassador was apparently always more common in American English, Noah Webster preferred embassador, as he notes at the entry for ambassador in An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828): "This is the more common orthography; but good authors write also embassador; and as the orthography of embassy is established, it would be better to write embassador."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambassador was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing ambassador

Dictionary Entries Near ambassador

ambassade

ambassador

ambassador-at-large

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Ambassador.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambassador. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

ambassador

noun
am·​bas·​sa·​dor am-ˈbas-əd-ər How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-,
-ˈbas-ə-dȯ(ə)r
1
: a person sent as the chief representative of his or her own government in another country
2
: an official representative or messenger
ambassadorial
(ˌ)am-ˌbas-ə-ˈdōr-ē-əl How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
-ˌdȯr-
əm-
adjective
ambassadorship
am-ˈbas-əd-ər-ˌship How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ambassador

Nglish: Translation of ambassador for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of ambassador for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ambassador

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