(often initial capital letter) the form used in speaking of or to a woman having the title of Lady (usually preceded by her oryour ).
the rank of a lady.
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at lady, -ship
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Connie, for all her talent and ingenuity, has no social identity beyond her ladyship.
From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
“Upon my word,” said her ladyship, “you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age?”
From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2019
When her ladyship met the new footman, she asked: "Don't I know you from Lark Pies To Cranchesterford?"
From The Guardian ● Oct. 11, 2012
I would ask your ladyship to extend the order.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2012
“May I take the liberty of asking your ladyship whether you left Mr. and Mrs. Collins well.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Earlier this year, when Michelle Obama’s post-First Ladyship memoir, “Becoming,” was No. 1 on the hardcover best-seller list, Kamala Harris’s “The Truths We Hold” débuted at No. 4.
From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2019
—Pray, Ma’am, where shall I begin, did your Ladyship fold down where you left off?
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 29, 2014
Her Ladyship, you see, likes people to fit snugly into categories, and Mr. Bedford is quite unclassifiable.
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2011
Actress Vivien Merchant, named her Ladyship corespondent in a suit in 1975, but has since decided not to press for a divorce.
From Time Magazine Archive
Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
