a woman who, most often secretly, has an ongoing sexual relationship with, and sometimes is financially supported by, someone who is openly married to, engaged to, or living with another person.
If Mr. G thinks his wife doesn’t know he has a mistress, he’s dead wrong—just ask Mrs. G’s private investigator!
Sometimes Mistress the dominant sexual partner, when female, in a BDSM relationship of unequal power.
none Mistress a term of address in former use and corresponding to Mrs., Miss, or Ms.
British. a female schoolteacher; schoolmistress.
Sometimes Mistress something regarded as feminine that has control or supremacy.
Because each enjoyed an era of naval superiority, both Venice and Britain were once known as the Mistress of the Seas.
Older Use. a woman who has authority, control, or power, especially the female head of a household, institution, or other establishment.
I’m sorry, the mistress of the house is not presently available.
Older Use. a woman employing, or in authority over, servants or attendants.
The maid laid out two outfits every morning so that her mistress might choose the one that best suited her mood.
(especially in historical use) a female owner of enslaved people, in the institution of chattel slavery; a female slaveholder.
Her father’s last will and testament made her mistress of his slaves after his death in 1837.
Older Use. a female owner of a pet or other animal.
That horse can only be handled by his mistress and a few of the grooms.
Older Use. a woman who has the power of controlling or disposing of something at her own pleasure.
mistress of a great fortune.
Obsolete. a woman who is skilled in something; a female master of an occupation or art.
She and her sister are both mistresses of the harpsichord.
Archaic. sweetheart.
a woman who has a continuing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
a woman in a position of authority, ownership, or control, such as the head of a household
a woman or female personification having control over something specified
she was mistress of her own destiny
short for schoolmistress
an archaic or dialect word for sweetheart
See -ess .
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English maistresse, from Middle French, Old French, equivalent to maistre master + -esse -ess
A mistress is a female master — she's the one in control. The wardrobe mistress is in charge of costumes for a theater. At some schools, the head of the school is called the headmaster or headmistress. A woman who has an illicit affair — that is, a sexual relationship with someone she's not married to — is also called a mistress. It’s a somewhat old-fashioned word — it’s one-sided, sexist, and often suggests financial support in exchange for sexual favors. On the other hand, history offers some fascinating examples, such the mistress of King Louis XV of France, Madame de Pompadour, renowned for her intelligence and charm.
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Instead of shedding tears or vowing revenge, we hear the protagonist in the song begging the mistress who holds the power to relinquish it.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He and William pleaded with him not to marry his long-term mistress and now queen, Camilla, Harry revealed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
He enrolled Morishita with a strict and formidable ballet mistress called Michiko Suwa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
It’s hard to imagine his administration being competent enough to fake such actions without at least one conspiracist letting the secret out, even by drunkenly bragging about it to a would-be mistress.
From Salon ● May 13, 2026
Penelope patted her mistress awkwardly on the back.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Mahjong Mistress is run by four friends who’ve taken mah-jongg, a game played by parents, uncles and aunts, and made it the centerpiece of a chill new L.A. party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
While Aleys initially finds the Beguines “wanton” due to their “strange rites,” including casual dress and meetings, their charismatic leader, Grand Mistress Sophia Vermeulen, convinces Aleys of the group’s higher purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
Her 1988 film, “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark,” endures as a Halloween-season essential precisely because it understands the delicious overlap between fright and farce.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2025
After performing most of the first act as the raven-haired Mistress, Gaga ascends to a dance floor lit up like a chess board, competing against her opponent in a lethal, choreographed game.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
“You mean Mistress Tyler took you to Hannah Tupper’s house?”
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
The result is that midlife crises have become a lot less wild: fewer mistresses and motorcycles and more medical visits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Under Holinshed's assertion that Richard the Lionheart was "not very notorious," Milton added: "the booke of Provenzall poets numbers him in / the catalogue, telling of his poetrie, and his Provenzal / mistresses."
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
So there was this constant contradiction in their lives, but ultimately they were not the mistresses of their own destinies.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2024
Between 1999 and 2015, the Post Office prosecuted hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses after faults with the Horizon accounting system made it look like money was missing.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024
"I should not mind it, for it is a long, long chain; but the knowledge of it irks me, and I miss my father's land. And the witch-woman is not the best of mistresses...."
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
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