stateswoman

[ steyts-woom-uhn ]

noun

, plural states·wom·en.

1. a woman who is experienced in the art of government.
2. a woman who exhibits great wisdom and ability in directing the affairs of a government.

Gender Note

See -woman.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stateswoman¹

First recorded in 1600–10; states(man) + -woman

Example Sentences

“Women can be both wives and mothers and also stateswomen,” she continued.

From Salon

At 39, Noecker considers herself the “senior stateswoman” of the group, and that’s a good thing, she said: “That means we don’t have this backlog or baggage of institutional memory holding us down.”

From Seattle Times

This marked the beginning of the startling second act of Jackson’s musical career, as she became — among a certain set — an elder stateswoman of grungy thrash guitar.

From New York Times

A vital presence with a face as open as her husband’s, Paulina is both a celebrated actor and a political stateswoman who served as as Chile’s first Minister of Culture.

From Los Angeles Times

At her final World Cup, Rapinoe was the elder stateswoman on a team that had 14 players appearing for the first time in the tournament.

From Seattle Times