spinster

noun

spin·​ster ˈspin(t)-stər 

1

: a woman whose occupation is to spin

2

a

archaic : an unmarried woman of gentle family

b

: an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying

3

: a woman who seems unlikely to marry

spinsterhood

ˈspin(t)-stər-ˌhu̇d 

noun

spinsterish

ˈspin(t)-st(ə-)rish 

adjective

spinsterly adjective

Examples of spinster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Apparently the only thing worse than being a Vegetable King in Mayfair is being a spinster. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 May 2024

Penelope is 28, considered a spinster in the England of 1824, and has long since given up on finding love, let alone a husband. —Kari Sonde, TIME, 16 May 2024

Nor is Agnes happy about how well her spinster sister, Ada (Cynthia Nixon), is getting along with the church's friendly new rector, Luke Forte (Robert Sean Leonard). —EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023

Like Miranda, Nixon’s Gilded Age character, Ada, is going through a romantic awakening of her own, having married for the first time after being a spinster her entire life. —Vulture, 17 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

spinster

noun

spin·​ster ˈspin(t)-stər 

1

: a woman whose occupation is to spin

2

: an unmarried woman past the usual age for marrying

spinsterhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

spinsterish

-st(ə-)rish 

adjective

spinsterly adverb