spinsterhood

American  

[spin-ster-hood] / ˈspɪn stərˌhʊd /

noun

plural

spinsterhoods

1. the fact, condition, or period of being a spinster.

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Example Sentences

In one trajectory, Helen makes the virtuous decision to avoid eloping with the impatient Jed; she is rewarded for her sacrifice with two decades of spinsterhood—in this universe, a tragic outcome.

From The Wall Street Journal

But at the last minute they not only appear but propose, saving the Benton daughters from a fate worse than spinsterhood: family insolvency.

From Los Angeles Times

However, the story's rom-com nature, and the realities of the time period dictated that her heroine take action to avoid two worst fates: spinsterhood or marrying Blifil against her will.

From Salon

Whatever fantasies I might have harbored about being liberated from my avowed spinsterhood, complete with "late in life" baby were already gone before I could fully acknowledge them.

From Salon

One of the sisters grows up to settle uneasily into spinsterhood; the other into marriage and motherhood, also uneasily.

From New York Times