boardroom bigwig

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableinformaldisapproving

   a powerful, important person who works at a high level in a company, especially one who attends board meetings

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a boardroom bigwig or two boardroom bigwigs.

   Patterns

   • a boardroom bigwig
   • the boardroom bigwigs

   The boardroom bigwigs flew in for an emergency meeting about the merger.

   She started as an intern and is now a boardroom bigwig at a major bank.

   The boardroom bigwig refused to answer questions from junior staff.

Word forms

Common combinations

a boardroom bigwig

He was introduced as a boardroom bigwig from the London office.

the boardroom bigwigs

The boardroom bigwigs gathered to discuss the poor sales figures.

powerful boardroom bigwig

A powerful boardroom bigwig can influence the whole company.

become a boardroom bigwig

After years of hard work, he became a boardroom bigwig.

Synonyms and how they differ

executive

Executive is a neutral, formal term for a senior manager; boardroom bigwig is informal and often suggests arrogance.

tycoon

Tycoon emphasizes great wealth and business success, while boardroom bigwig focuses on power within a company's board.

mogul

Mogul is similar to tycoon but often used for media or industry leaders; boardroom bigwig is less specific and more mocking.

Word family

bigwig noun

a very important person, especially in an organization

boardroom noun

a room where a company's board of directors meets

board noun

the group of directors who manage a company

Commonly confused: boardroom bigwig or big shot?

Practice

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