magnate

[ mag-neyt, -nit ]

noun

1. a person of great influence, importance, or standing in a particular enterprise, field of business, etc.:

   a railroad magnate.

2. a person of eminence or distinction in any field:

   literary magnates.

3. a member of the former upper house in either the Polish or Hungarian parliament.

magnate

/ -nɪt; ˈmæɡneɪt /

noun

1. a person of power and rank in any sphere, esp in industry
2. history a great nobleman
3. (formerly) a member of the upper chamber in certain European parliaments, as in Hungary

Derived Forms

• ˈmagnateˌship, noun

Other Words From

• magnate·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of magnate¹

1400–50; back formation from Middle English magnates (plural) < Late Latin magnātēs leading people, equivalent to Latin magn ( us ) magn- + -ātēs, plural of -ās noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of magnate¹

C15: back formation from earlier magnates from Late Latin: great men, plural of magnās, from Latin magnus great

Example Sentences

The Panthers were built into a thriving business by Jerry Richardson, a onetime NFL player turned fast food restaurant magnate, who was awarded the expansion franchise in the early 1990s.

From ProPublica

That’s nothing new, he argues—Henry Ford responded in much the same way when workers in his factories spoke up, and Ford learned the tactic from the railroad magnates who preceded him.

From MIT Technology Review

Margarine and soap magnates like Britain’s William Lever looked to Europe’s colonies in Africa for larger quantities of fresher, edible palm oil.

From Popular-Science

A new booster class of bankers, retailers, insurance executives, real estate agents, utilities magnates and others took shape, motivated by a desire for military contracts and mobile factories.

From Washington Post

The business magnate did not, however, suggest this digital health record he was thinking about would come in the form of a microchip injected into individuals’ arms during vaccination.

From Washington Post

The Glock family feud gets messier with new court documents alleging that gun magnate Gaston had a detective follow his ex-wife.

From The Daily Beast

The most shadowy among them, according to Ukrainskaya Pravda, was a 28-year-old gas magnate named Sergiy Kurchenko.

From The Daily Beast

“I think Scott Walker has come a long way,” added John Catsimatidis, a supermarket magnate who backed Romney in 2012.

From The Daily Beast

When cosmetics magnate Stanley Picker died in 1982, he left behind a gorgeous house and notable art collection.

From The Daily Beast

Then she helped press magnate Rupert Murdoch crush organized-labor opposition in his Wapping facilities.

From The Daily Beast

In the late eighties he returned to his native island, settled at Peel, and became a magnate there.

From Project Gutenberg

I had attempted the life of a great magnate; in him capitalism felt itself attacked.

From Project Gutenberg

Good Heavens, was that uncouth figure the voluble, buoyant, flashy magnate of the old days?

From Project Gutenberg

His smile softened the words which struck upon the ear of the magnate with an unaccustomed sound.

From Project Gutenberg

I have come direct from Odessa, where I have had a talk with the Russian wheat magnate.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aristocrat
• capitalist
• financier
• merchant
• mogul
• tycoon