bachelor

[ bach-ler, bach-uh-ler ]

See synonyms for bachelor on Thesaurus.com

noun

an unmarried man.
a person who has been awarded a bachelor's degree.

a fur seal, especially a young male, kept from the breeding grounds by the older males.
Also called bach·e·lor-at-arms [bach-ler-uht-ahrmz] /ˈbætʃ lər ətˈɑrmz/ . a young knight who followed the banner of another.
Also called house·hold knight [hous-hohld nahyt] /ˈhaʊs hoʊld ˈnaɪt/ . a landless knight.

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 -al¹,-arium)

Other words from bachelor

bach·e·lor·like, adjective
bach·e·lor·ly, adjective
non·bach·e·lor, noun
pre·bach·e·lor, adjective, noun

Words Nearby bachelor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bachelor in a sentence

See, his bosses keep borrowing his bachelor pad for their affairs, and he lets them, hoping to get promoted up a few floors.
What floor? | Sophia Nguyen | February 12, 2021 | Washington Post
Previously, he taught physics and English in Mozambique and Japan, and he has a bachelor’s in physics from Brown University.
How Universes Might Bubble Up and Collide - Facts So Romantic | Charlie Wood | January 28, 2021 | Nautilus
He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in homeland security from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Woman dies after shooting in U.S. Capitol; D.C. National Guard activated after mob breaches building | Washington Post Staff | January 7, 2021 | Washington Post
Lazear received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, both in 1971, and a PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1974.
Edward Lazear, Bush’s top economist during financial crisis, dies at 72 | Emily Langer | December 2, 2020 | Washington Post
Ginsburg would go on to not only graduate high school, but also get her bachelor’s at Cornell and attend law school at Harvard and Columbia.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing feels like millions of women have lost their bubbie | jakemeth | September 22, 2020 | Fortune

This gives the show about the same real-life success rate as The bachelor.
I Want to See Your Spreadsheets, Baby: MTV’s ‘Are You the One?’ Is a Mathematical Orgy | Brandy Zadrozny | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a bachelor party in Arizona, where a group of friends were venting their frustrations while using Tinder.
Swipe Right For Sex: Mixxxer Is Tinder for the Porn Star Set | Aurora Snow | October 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Clooney, by contrast, is a 50-something (former) bachelor with a history of commitment issues.
Meet Amal Alamuddin, George Clooney’s Wife | Lizzie Crocker, Chris Allbritton | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But by choosing this fauxhawked farmer, ‘The bachelor’ promises to be as exciting as watching soybeans grow.
The Bachelor Farmville: No One Wants to Watch Chris Soules Plant His Seed | Brandy Zadrozny | August 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
If ESPN is a sleek bachelor pad, ESPNW is the cottage next door filled with Activia and ultra-soft toilet paper.
Women's Sports Are Getting Less Airtime | Evelyn Shoop | August 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a good-looking young bachelor, though a detrimental, he had been very popular.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
She thought the idol would consume them, for bachelor cooking was never intended for bachelor invalids.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd
The various lodgings of my bachelor days was never quite of the conventional sort.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
They very much enjoyed their tête-à-tête dinner; as they had enjoyed many a one in Hartledon's bachelor days.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
Children soon appeared on the scene; my bachelor days were over.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for bachelor

bachelor

/ (ˈbætʃələ, ˈbætʃlə) /

noun

- an unmarried man
- (as modifier): a bachelor flat
- a person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, etc
- the degree itself

Also called: bachelor-at-arms (in the Middle Ages) a young knight serving a great noble
bachelor seal a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated

Origin of bachelor

C13: from Old French bacheler youth, squire, from Vulgar Latin baccalāris (unattested) farm worker, of Celtic origin; compare Irish Gaelic bachlach peasant

usage For bachelor

Gender-neutral form: single person

Derived forms of bachelor

bachelorhood, noun

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

Browse