bachelor

American  

[bach-ler, bach-uh-ler] / ˈbætʃ lər, ˈbætʃ ə lər /

noun

1. an unmarried man.

2. a person who has been awarded a bachelor's degree.

3. a fur seal, especially a young male, kept from the breeding grounds by the older males.

4. Also called bachelor-at-arms.  a young knight who followed the banner of another.

5. Also called household knight.  a landless knight.

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bachelor British  

/ ˈbætʃlə, ˈbætʃələ /

noun

1. 1. an unmarried man

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bachelor flat

2. 1. a person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, etc

   2. the degree itself

3. Also called: bachelor-at-arms.  (in the Middle Ages) a young knight serving a great noble

4. a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated

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Usage

Gender-neutral form: single person

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bachelorlike
  adjective
• nonbachelor
  noun
• prebachelor
  adjective
• bachelorly
  adjective
• bachelorhood
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bachelor

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bacheler “squire, young knight,” from Old French; origin uncertain; probably from assumed Vulgar Latin baccalār(is) “tenant farmer, farm hand”; akin to Late Latin baccalāria “piece of land,” originallly plural of assumed baccalārium “dairy farm,” equivalent to assumed baccālis “pertaining to cows” (from bacca, variant of Latin vacca “cow” + -ālis + -ārium); see origin at -al ¹, -arium ( def. ) )

Explanation

There are two criteria needed in order to be a bachelor: one is that you can’t be married, and the other is that you have to be a man. Any people outside of these criteria are some other word. The origins of bachelor are unclear, but some similar Latin words are baccalāris (“farm hand”), baccalārium (“dairy farm”), and bacca (“cow”). Maybe some bachelors spent a lot of time milking cows before getting married in the olden days. The phrase “eligible bachelor” means a guy who would make a great husband, and the phrase “confirmed bachelor” describes a man who is having so much fun being single that he’ll probably never marry. Either way, pronounce it like this: BATCH-uh-lur.

Example Sentences

Some of the Bachelor stars at the time were selling anything and everything once they came off the show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

My nose received Bachelor No. 3 before my eyes.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

The research involved senior scientists and doctoral researchers from both universities, with additional support from University of Galway undergraduate students who travel to Morocco each year as part of their Bachelor of Science Zoology programme.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

Last week, UNN reportedly told the publication that it had no records confirming that the minister had graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1985, as he had claimed.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

My dad says he misses me this week, which really just means he’s sad about having to TiVo The Bachelor.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli