matron

American  

[may-truhn] / ˈmeɪ trən /

noun

• matrons
  plural

1. a married woman, especially one who is mature and staid or dignified and has an established social position.

2. a woman who has charge of the domestic affairs of a hospital, prison, or other institution.

3. a woman serving as a guard, warden, or attendant for women or girls, as in a prison.

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matron British  

/ ˈmeɪtrən /

noun

1. a married woman regarded as staid or dignified, esp a middle-aged woman with children

2. a woman in charge of the domestic or medical arrangements in an institution, such as a boarding school

3. a wardress in a prison

4. Official name: nursing officer. the former name for the administrative head of the nursing staff in a hospital

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• matronhood
  noun
• matronship
  noun
• matron-like
  adjective
• matronal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• matrons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of matron

1350–1400; Middle English matrone < Latin mātrōna a married woman, wife, derivative of māter mother

Explanation

A matron is a dignified, serious-minded married woman. The warden in a women's prison is also called a matron, which may lead you to conclude that the term is often not a glowing compliment. In a wedding, you can have a maid of honor (the bride’s unmarried attendant) or a matron of honor (one who’s married). Matron includes the Latin root mater, "mother" — as in “maternal,” “maternity,” and “matrimony.” You may imagine matrons as gray-haired and stern, like Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and to avoid negative stereotypes, the title matron, for the woman who runs a nursing home or boarding school, is often replaced with the gender-neutral “director.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

matron matrons

Seema cosplaying a garden society matron certainly isn’t the worst vision this show has served.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025

She arrived for breakfast looking elegant in a black-and-white caftan, the picture of an Upper West Side matron, a matron without a sizable body count.

From New York Times ● Nov. 29, 2024

The matron, Sian Townsend, went through her CV and application to see if there were other lies.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2024

He was given a letter by matron Lynda McHale, written by her granddaughter, that wished Catherine and the King well in their respective cancer recoveries.

From BBC ● May 10, 2024

When Sarah White, the ladies' waiting room matron, heard the first shot, she glanced over.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Mueenuddin, whose gift for satire shines whether he’s describing society matrons or gangsters, never loses sight of his theme: How do any of us ever manage to justify our treatment of the underserved?

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

Behind her back, the other matrons make snarky remarks about her while sipping her tea; we learn all this because we share Millie’s point of view and the moms speak freely in front of her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

But as so often happens, a tipple that initially made matrons clutch their pearls quickly became a regular feature on the society sideboard, and this John Collins-Tom Collins became a classic.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023

"The house had to have the builders in, it had to decorated, they had to kit out the kitchen, and they had to recruit matrons to look after the girls."

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2023

It was more than I could stand, and before the next speaker could begin I hurried past the disapproving eyes of teachers and matrons, out into the night.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Related Words

• dowager
• housekeeper
• matriarch