bachelor

1 of 2

noun

bach·​e·​lor ˈbach-lər  ˈba-chə- 

1

: a young knight who follows the banner of another

2

: a person who has received a degree from a college, university, or professional school usually after four years of study

bachelor of arts

also : the degree itself

received a bachelor of laws

3

a

: an unmarried man

He chooses to remain a bachelor.

b

: a male animal (such as a fur seal) without a mate during breeding time

bachelordom

ˈbach-lər-dəm

ˈba-chə- 

noun

bachelorhood

ˈbach-lər-ˌhu̇d

ˈba-chə- 

noun

bachelor

2 of 2

adjective

1

: suitable for or occupied by a single person

a bachelor apartment

2

: unmarried

bachelor women

bachelor parents

Examples of bachelor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hunter, who Williams shares with ex-husband Kevin Hunter, graduated from Florida International University reportedly with a bachelor’s degree in economics. —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024

Burrus has a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Kentucky. —Jenny Block, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Beyond tapping her extensive professional experience, Roman will draw on her bachelor degrees in geography and biology from Valparaiso University and master’s degree in geospatial science from Missouri State University (MSU). —Jim Masters, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2022

The gap between those with a post-bachelor’s education and those with a high school diploma or less was similar, at 6% and 22%, respectively. —Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bacheler "knight lacking retainers, squire, young man (especially an unmarried one), person holding the lowest university degree," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Medieval Latin *baccalāris, variant of baccalārius, bachelārius "serf without land living in the lord's household, vassal lacking a fief, knight without retainers, young clerk, student," of obscure origin

Adjective

attributive use of bachelor entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bachelor

• bachelor pad
• bachelor party
• bachelor's button
• bachelor's degree
• confirmed bachelor
• eligible bachelor

Kids Definition

bachelor

noun

bach·​e·​lor

ˈbach-(ə-)lər

1

: a person who has received the lowest degree given by a college, university, or professional school

bachelor of arts

also : the degree itself

2

a

: an unmarried man

b

: an unmated male animal

bachelorhood

-ˌhu̇d

noun