ombudswoman

[om-buhdz-woom-uhn, -boodz-, awm-]

noun

plural

ombudswomen 

1. a woman employed to investigate complaints against government or institutional officials, employers, etc.

Gender Note

See -woman.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ombudswoman¹

First recorded in 1960–65; ombuds(man) + -woman

Example Sentences

Mayor Eric Garcetti — said she believed the ombudswoman’s post would allow her to be part of the state’s reimagining of the juvenile justice system.

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Sharony contends Hart’s lack of experience working in the juvenile justice system made her less qualified for the ombudswoman’s post.

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Kate Lamb, the HHS spokeswoman, said the ombudswoman’s office received 49 complaints from Nidorf and Los Padrinos juvenile halls last year.

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In 2023, when Sharony worked in the ombudswoman role for half of the year, the office received twice as many complaints and all have since been closed out, according to Lamb.

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In her role as the ombudswoman for the state’s Office of Youth and Community Restoration, Sharony said supervisors told her she was supposed to be “the only teeth” the agency had.

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