First recorded in 1850–55; after Henrietta Maria (1609–69), queen consort of Charles I of England
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She set them at defiance in a peculiarly feminine fashion by dressing that evening in the unbecoming henrietta and doing her hair in the plainest, most severe fashion.
From Other People's Business The Romantic Career of the Practical Miss Dale by Smith, Harriet L.
Materials must be as handsome as can be afforded; soft wool materials may be chosen, cashmere, henrietta, voile, make up suitably.
From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
But as I was leaving my house Calliope Marsh arrived, buttoned tightly in her best gray henrietta, her cheeks hot with some intense excitement.
From Friendship Village by Gale, Zona
Tomorrow morning," she said sternly, "You take off that white cap and that fol-de-rol apron and that black henrietta cloth, and put on a calico wrapper.
From When a Man Marries by Rinehart, Mary Roberts
She was wearing her best gray henrietta, and I noted that she had changed her cameo ring from her first to her third finger.
From Friendship Village by Gale, Zona
“What the 60-day window is actually for is ironing out the thorniest details,” Henrietta Treyz, director of economic policy at Veda Partners, wrote in a note.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
Henrietta Treyz, head of economic policy research at Veda Partners, is keeping tabs on House and Senate votes on next week’s war power resolution and whether the Senate schedules public oversight hearings of the war.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
Doubts will rise among the U.S.’s allies in Asia, despite rhetorical affirmations of strong ties, said Henrietta Levin, a former National Security Council director for China during the Biden administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
The Switzerland-based company Novartis was accused in a lawsuit of profiting from Henrietta Lacks' cells, which were taken without consent but have enabled huge advances in medical science.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Then, once I knew what you were saying, I got worried that maybe I was feeding Henrietta all wrong.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
