diplomat

noun

dip·​lo·​mat ˈdi-plə-ˌmat How to pronounce diplomat (audio)
: one employed or skilled in diplomacy
a foreign diplomat

Examples of diplomat in a Sentence

The President will be meeting with foreign diplomats. He's a talented architect but a poor diplomat.
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.
While the Israelis have reportedly agreed to move troops farther away from key corridors, some question if Israeli diplomats shuttling to Qatar and Egypt for talks actually have the mandate to negotiate. Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told the European Union’s top diplomat earlier this month that Beijing can’t accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine as this could allow the United States to turn its full attention to China. Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 July 2025 At the assembly, CTBTO leader and former Australian diplomat Robert Floyd joined the Nobel winners in calling the international community to formally approve the testing ban. Davis Winkie, USA Today, 20 July 2025 The representative of Moscow, a young diplomat named Roman Kashaev, looked up from his desk, cracked a smile, and began to laugh. Simon Shuster, Time, 17 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for diplomat

Word History

Etymology

French diplomate, back-formation from diplomatique

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of diplomat was in 1813

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diplomat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diplomat. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

diplomat

noun
dip·​lo·​mat ˈdip-lə-ˌmat How to pronounce diplomat (audio)
: a person employed or skilled in diplomacy

More from Merriam-Webster on diplomat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!