needlewoman

American  

[need-l-woom-uhn] / ˈnid lˌwʊm ən /

noun

needlewomen plural

1. a woman who does needlework.

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needlewoman British  

/ ˈniːdəlˌwʊmən /

noun

1. a woman who does needlework; seamstress

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Gender

See -woman.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• needlewomen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of needlewoman

First recorded in 1605–15; needle + woman

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

needlewoman needlewomen

A needlewoman of extraordinary skill, she has made a lavishly embroidered silk purse out of the sow's ear of realism.

From Time Magazine Archive

The outline for the first series was based partly on the stories of Eileen's parents, an underbutler and a needlewoman in the Edwardian era, and partly by Jean's reading preferences.

From Time Magazine Archive

Guenever stitched away with the half-blank mind of a needlewoman, the other half of her brain moving idly among her troubles.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

The question of wardrobe was a source of worry, until I volunteered my services; I was a good needlewoman, and, from the sketches Will made, I was able to qualify as a full-fledged costumier.

From My Actor-Husband A true story of American stage life by Anonymous

It is the growth of the last half-century, prior to which the real sewing-machine was the heavy-eyed, if not tireless, needlewoman, whose flying fingers seemed ever in vain pursuit of the flying hours.

From The Romance of Industry and Invention by Cochrane, Robert

The clothing industry also employed tens of thousands of people, from skilled tailors and dressmakers in upscale shops to widowed needlewomen working 16-hour days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

On the top floor, out of sight, a few dozen tailors, pattern cutters, shoemakers, and needlewomen work on the orders.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 21, 2016

"I think—I am nearly sure, indeed—that if they are really expert needlewomen, we can find plenty for them to do in our own family connection; five families of us, you know."

From The Two Elsies A Sequel to Elsie at Nantucket by Finley, Martha

It is beyond the needlewomen of the present day to imitate these old Samplers.

From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh

After muttering a "Good-afternoon," he took his usual seat in the corner, followed by derisive glances of the needlewomen, toward whom, for this and other reasons, he vowed eternal hatred.

From The Fourth Estate, vol.1 by Palacio Vald?s, Armando