adventuress
Americannoun
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a woman who schemes to win social position, wealth, etc., by unscrupulous or questionable means.
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a woman who is an adventurer.
noun
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a woman who seeks adventure, esp one who seeks success or money through daring exploits
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a woman who seeks money or power by unscrupulous means
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a speculator
Gender
What's the difference between adventuress and adventurer? See -ess.
Etymology
Origin of adventuress
First recorded in 1745–55; adventur(er) + -ess
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.
In their ninth crime-solving tale, the Victorian-era adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell and her partner discover that a wax mannequin is actually a dead young woman, expertly preserved.
From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024
"From the outset, Camilla was suspicious about the adventuress from Los Angeles," he claimed to the outlet.
From Fox News • Feb. 14, 2022
Moana even had its Polynesian princess, a naval adventuress, attempt to renounce her royal status, Simba-style.
From Slate • Nov. 16, 2018
Although Maria’s two older sisters and younger brother have seats on the board, Maria, a writer and self-described adventuress and explorer, has the final word.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2016
"You could have given that adventuress a position far more stable than she holds now, as the wife of a lucky stock-gambler!"
From An Ambitious Woman A Novel by Fawcett, Edgar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
