envoy

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈɛnvɔɪ/ 🇺🇸 /ˈɛnvɔɪ/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A diplomatic representative sent by one government to another; a messenger or agent on a diplomatic mission.; A diplomatic agent of the second rank, below an ambassador.; A short stanza or concluding section at the end of a poem, often addressing a person or summarizing the theme.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: envoys

Collocations

special envoysend an envoydiplomatic envoyenvoy topersonal envoy

Derivatives

envoyship

Synonyms

emissaryambassadorrepresentativedelegatemessengerdiplomat

Commonly confused

envy
EN: 'Envy' is a feeling of jealousy or desire for what others have; 'envoy' is a diplomatic representative.
ambassador
EN: 'Ambassador' is the highest-ranking diplomatic representative; 'envoy' is a lower-ranking diplomatic agent or a general term for a messenger.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'envoy' (a diplomatic representative) with 'envy' (jealousy). Note the 'o' in 'envoy'.

💬 Examples

  1. The president dispatched a special envoy to negotiate the peace treaty.

  2. He served as envoy to several small nations before being promoted to ambassador.

  3. The poet ended the ballad with a brief envoy dedicated to his patron.