spinster
Disparaging and Offensive. a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying.
Chiefly Law. a woman who has never married.
a woman whose occupation is spinning.
Origin of spinster
1usage note For spinster
Other words from spinster
- spin·ster·hood, noun
- spin·ster·ish, adjective
- spin·ster·ish·ly, adverb
- spin·ster·like, adjective
Words Nearby spinster
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spinster in a sentence
Since this is a rom-com, what Renée Zellweger’s Bridget fears most is becoming a spinster whose greatest relationship is with a bottle of wine.
According to STD life coach Belize Spivey, having herpes doesn’t mean you’re destined to live as a spinster.
The Truth About Dating With Herpes, Women Tell All | Victoria Uwumarogie | May 28, 2021 | Essence.comAss-kicking, bad guy-killing Carter is just a future spinster.
She is the last generation of spinster-daughters expected to stay home and look after her parents.
Sarah Waters: Queen of the Tortured Lesbian Romance | Tim Teeman | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere were, though, other loves that belied the appearance of a desiccated, workaholic spinster.
Deep they needed to be, because the Nazis could take offense quicker than a prudish Victorian spinster.
Did Hollywood Collaborate With Hitler? A New Book Makes Bold Claims. | Christopher Bray | September 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTHow does one manage to make a gorgeous, youthful and lithe woman like Kate look like this elderly spinster?
Kate's First Official Portrait: Will Artist be Sent To Tower for Hideous Picture? | Tom Sykes | January 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe spinster was startled out of her calm and a look of concern spread over her face.
In the Onyx Lobby | Carolyn WellsA spinster who was a poor relation was the only person of respectable breeding who ever came near them.
A Lady of Quality | Frances Hodgson BurnettThe little spinster turned round quite fluttered, with both her fat little hands extended.
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3) | Frances Eleanor Trollope"I never can get used to the name of Ancram instead of Algernon," said the spinster, raising her round red face from her woolwork.
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3) | Frances Eleanor TrollopeThis sounds harsh, but nobody minds Salemina, least of all Francesca, who well knows that she is the apple of that spinster's eye.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland | Kate Douglas Wiggin
British Dictionary definitions for spinster
/ (ˈspɪnstə) /
an unmarried woman regarded as being beyond the age of marriage
law (in legal documents) a woman who has never married: Compare feme sole
(formerly) a woman who spins thread for her living
Origin of spinster
1Derived forms of spinster
- spinsterhood, noun
- spinsterish, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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