grande dame

[gran dam, deym; French grahnd dam]

See more synonyms for grande dame on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural grandes dames

[gran damz, deymz; French grahnd dam] /ˈgræn ˈdæmz, ˈdeɪmz; French grɑ̃d ˈdam/.

a usually elderly woman of dignified or aristocratic bearing.
a woman who is the doyenne of a specific field: a grande dame of the American theater.

Origin of grande dame

1735–45; < French: literally, great lady

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for grande dame

matron, dowager, housekeeper, matriarch, queen, dame, mother, biddy, administrator, superintendent, wife, lady, housemother

British Dictionary definitions for grande dame

grande dame

noun

a woman regarded as the most experienced, prominent, or venerable member of her profession, etcthe grande dame of fashion

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