gentlewoman
Americannoun
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archaic a woman regarded as being of good family or breeding; lady
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rare a woman who is cultured, courteous, and well-educated
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history a woman in personal attendance on a high-ranking lady
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gentlewoman
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at gentle, woman
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.
See Examples For:
“Portrait of a Court Lady,” acquired in 2013, shows the nearly life-size image of a refined gentlewoman seated on a garden terrace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
"Because being a polite gentleman or gentlewoman is all about first impressions," she said.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
One of his stories is about a Southern gentlewoman who keeps her dead fiance’s corpse in her bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
This week, Bahloul published an analysis under the title, "Najla Bouden, the gentlewoman" in which he criticized the prime minister's political and economic performance.
From Reuters ● Nov. 15, 2022
Lancelot looked at the gentlewoman and at the tree.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Lucky for Lucy, Annie, Phoebe—these are our granddaughters—and all the many bright young gentlewomen,
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2018
In 1987, when my book first appeared, the scholarly consensus was that “Dido and Aeneas” was written for Josias Priest’s boarding school for young gentlewomen.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2017
She seems the gentlest of gentlewomen as she stands reflectively.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2014
His carefully concealed soft spot for distressed gentlewomen and exiled court figures like Catherine and her daughter, Mary Tudor, leads him to make small but largely unappreciated efforts on their behalf.
From Salon ● May 28, 2012
She even had latrines built in the woods, and she posted signs shaped like little hands with gentlemen and gentlewomen written on them pointing to two thin paths that led away from each other.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
