spinster

[ spin-ster ]

See synonyms for spinster on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

1325–75; Middle English spinnestere a woman who spins. See spin, -ster

usage note For spinster

The meaning “a woman beyond the usual marriageable age” is used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. It implies negative qualities such as being fussy or undesirable. See also old maid.

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.
The 15 Best Romantic Comedies from the Early 2000s | Shannon Carlin | February 14, 2022 | Time
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.com
Ass-kicking, bad guy-killing Carter is just a future spinster.
Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ Stomps on the Patriarchy | Melissa Leon | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 BEAST
There were, though, other loves that belied the appearance of a desiccated, workaholic spinster.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq | Clive Irving | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

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 BEAST
How 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 BEAST
The spinster was startled out of her calm and a look of concern spread over her face.
In the Onyx Lobby | Carolyn Wells
A spinster who was a poor relation was the only person of respectable breeding who ever came near them.
A Lady of Quality | Frances Hodgson Burnett
The 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 Trollope
This 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

spinster

/ (ˈspɪnstə) /

noun

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

C14 (in the sense: a person, esp a woman, whose occupation is spinning; C17: a woman still unmarried): from spin + -ster

Derived 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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