comfort woman

American  

[kuhm-fert woom-uhn] / ˈkʌm fərt ˌwʊm ən /

noun

1. a girl or woman forced into prostitution by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

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Etymology

Origin of comfort woman

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

It was only in 1991 that the first former South Korean comfort woman first came forward in Seoul, setting off a swell of public testimony.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024

The deal is also controversial because of suggestions by Japanese officials that South Korea has agreed to remove a statue of a young girl outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul that represents a comfort woman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 28, 2016

In it, Maria Rosa Henson tells the story of her life in the Philippines and her internment as a comfort woman.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2016

But in 1991, when another comfort woman broke a half-century of silence, Lee realized that she had not been alone.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2015

Lee Yong Soo, a Korean and a former comfort woman, says, “If I am ever born again, I hope to be born as a woman soldier.”

From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2014