Synonyms

damsel

American

[dam-zuhl] / ˈdæm zəl /

noun

Literary.

a young woman or girl; a maiden, originally one of gentle or noble birth.

damsel British

/ ˈdæmzəl /

noun

archaic a young unmarried woman; maiden

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of damsel

1150–1200; Middle English damisel < Anglo-French ( Old French damoisele ) < Vulgar Latin *dominicella, equivalent to Latin domin ( a ) lady ( dame ) + -i- -i- + -cella feminine diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Above us swallows dart through the air, Graeme takes a picture of a damsel fly and the brook to our side continues to babble.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2024

She’s a talented player who’s learning the ropes, not a damsel in distress.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

“There are tales of chivalry, where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress,” a young woman’s voice intones as “Damsel” begins.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2024

But also, it has a lot of humor surrounding it, because it's that damsel in distress kind of character.

From Salon • Jul. 29, 2023

A damsel in distress starts screaming and he forgets all about winning the game to go rescue her?

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023