concubine
noun
a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not legally married, especially one regarded as socially or sexually subservient; mistress.
concubines
-
pluralof concubine.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
The nizam’s court, with its sumptuous palaces, its concubines, its rituals and recitations of poetry and music, was the chief inheritor of the archaic grandeur of the moguls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
However, sumptuary laws dictated what women could and could not wear, elite men kept concubines, and the Tang legal system considered women property.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
King Saud, Saudi Arabia’s second king, fathered 53 sons and 57 daughters with numerous wives and concubines.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2020
Criminals, slaves and concubines were tattooed, and some ethnic groups tattooed themselves to ward off evil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2019
In China, there were concubines — not what she wanted to be at all, but which proved human nature capable of different sorts of marriage.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
