Word
magnate
Phoneticsmag·nate
US/ˈmæɡˌneɪt/
UK/mˈæɡneɪt/
Definitions
01business leader
n. a person who is very successful and powerful in a specific business, like oil or newspapers.
n. a powerful industrialist or business leader who has achieved great wealth and influence in a particular sector.
“The shipping magnate owned a fleet of hundreds of cargo ships.”
“The real estate magnate exerted significant influence over city planning through his extensive portfolio of commercial properties.”
Formal
Usage
Often used with a qualifying noun to specify the industry, such as 'media magnate' or 'steel magnate'.
02historical rank
n. a person of high rank or great importance in the past, especially in old European politics.
n. a person of high rank, influence, or distinction, particularly referring to historical nobility or wealthy patrician families.
“The king met with the powerful magnates of the realm to discuss the new tax.”
“In medieval Hungary, the magnates formed the upper house of the diet and held vast hereditary estates.”
Archaic · Formal
Teaching tip
In modern English, this sense is almost exclusively found in history books; 'tycoon' is the more common modern equivalent for business contexts.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Luxembourg then asked for the same treatment for Fridman, the Russian-Israeli magnate, who is suing the Grand Duchy for $16bn (£12bn) for freezing his assets.” “Luxembourg then asked for the same treatment for Fridman, the Russian-Israeli magnate, who is suing the Grand Duchy for $16bn for freezing his assets.” “His father-in-law is the Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, another billionaire.” Etymology
Borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin magnātēs, plural of magnās, from magnus (“great”), mid 15th c.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/magnate