Phrase guide

éminence grise

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation, also: /ˌɛmɪnɒns ˈɡɹiːz/ of éminences grises
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌeɪ-/
  • General-American, also: /ˌɛmɪnɑns ˈɡɹiz/ of éminences grises
  • General-American: /ˌeɪ-/
  • rhymes with -iːz
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A secret or unofficial decision-maker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: power behind the throne, gray eminence

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French éminence grise (literally “grey eminence”), originally applied to François Leclerc du Tremblay (1577–1638), also known as Père Joseph, a French Capuchin friar who was the confidant and agent of Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642), the chief minister of France under Louis XIII (1601–1643). The term refers to du Tremblay’s influence over the Cardinal (who bore the honorific of Eminence), and the colour of his habit (grey, rather than the red of a cardinal).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 灰衣主教 (huīyī zhǔjiào) — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Czech: šedá eminence — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Danish: grå eminence — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Dutch: éminence grise — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Dutch: grijze eminentie — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Finnish: harmaa eminenssi — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • French: éminence grise — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Georgian: რუხი კარდინალი (ruxi ḳardinali) — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • German: graue Eminenz — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Hungarian: szürke eminenciás — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Italian: eminenza grigia — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Japanese: 黒幕 (kuromaku) — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Korean: 흑막 (heungmak) — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Norwegian: grå eminense — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Polish: szara eminencja — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Portuguese: eminência parda — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Romanian: eminență cenușie — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Serbo-Croatian: сива еминенција — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Serbo-Croatian: siva eminencija — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Spanish: eminencia gris — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Spanish: jefe máximo — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Swedish: grå eminens — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne
  • Ukrainian: сірий кардина́л (siryj kardynál) — secret or unofficial decision-maker — see also power behind the throne