bachelor

American  

[bach-ler, bach-uh-ler] / ˈbætʃ lər, ˈbætʃ ə lər /

noun

bachelors plural

1. an unmarried man.

2. a person who has been awarded a bachelor's degree.

3. a fur seal, especially a young male, kept from the breeding grounds by the older males.

4. Also called bachelor-at-arms.  a young knight who followed the banner of another.

5. Also called household knight.  a landless knight.

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bachelor British  

/ ˈbætʃlə, ˈbætʃələ /

noun

1. 1. an unmarried man

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bachelor flat

2. 1. a person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, etc

   2. the degree itself

3. Also called: bachelor-at-arms.  (in the Middle Ages) a young knight serving a great noble

4. a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated

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Usage

Gender-neutral form: single person

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bachelorhood
  noun
• nonbachelor
  noun
• bachelorlike
  adjective
• bachelorly
  adjective
• prebachelor
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bachelors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bachelor

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bacheler “squire, young knight,” from Old French; origin uncertain; probably from assumed Vulgar Latin baccalār(is) “tenant farmer, farm hand”; akin to Late Latin baccalāria “piece of land,” originallly plural of assumed baccalārium “dairy farm,” equivalent to assumed baccālis “pertaining to cows” (from bacca, variant of Latin vacca “cow” + -ālis + -ārium); see origin at -al ¹, -arium ( def. ) )

Explanation

There are two criteria needed in order to be a bachelor: one is that you can’t be married, and the other is that you have to be a man. Any people outside of these criteria are some other word. The origins of bachelor are unclear, but some similar Latin words are baccalāris (“farm hand”), baccalārium (“dairy farm”), and bacca (“cow”). Maybe some bachelors spent a lot of time milking cows before getting married in the olden days. The phrase “eligible bachelor” means a guy who would make a great husband, and the phrase “confirmed bachelor” describes a man who is having so much fun being single that he’ll probably never marry. Either way, pronounce it like this: BATCH-uh-lur.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bachelor bachelors

In his 2016 presidential run, Graham would campaign about how he, a bachelor with no kids, had no life and would be purely focused on the work.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

The less-grueling training made it easier to plan and raise a family, said Peterson, who like most NPs received her bachelor of science in nursing before going on to get her advanced degree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Clarke High School and went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree from New York University before landing an internship at NBC News in New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

This keeps your cash liquid enough to help you quit a toxic job or book a last-minute flight to a bachelor or bachelorette party, while still earning 3% or 4% interest.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

I’ll be the bachelor I was always meant to be, he said.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

One was married, but the other was single, so the bachelors lived together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

A movie where the perennially single New York matchmaker has finally met her match in two highly eligible bachelors?

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2025

Ugly Christmas sweaters: They’re gaudy, loud, and the chosen uniform of seasonal rom-com bachelors.

From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2024

The announcement surprised many fans of the man once dubbed one of Asia's most eligible bachelors.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2024

More than once, pushing Gogol in his stroller, Ashima has been approached on the streets of Cambridge by young Bengali bachelors, shyly inquiring after her origins.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri