Clytemnestra

noun

Cly·​tem·​nes·​tra ˌklī-təm-ˈne-strə 

: the wife and murderess of Agamemnon

Examples of Clytemnestra in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Larson stars as Elektra, while Channing stars as Clytemnestra. —Charna Flam, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025

And unlike the Danish prince, her righteousness is undermined by the fact that Clytemnestra murdered her husband on much the same impulse as hers, punishment for his brutal slaying of another daughter. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025

Even Clytemnestra’s triumph is short-lived, since her own son, Orestes, will soon avenge his father’s death by murdering his mother – Clytemnestra. —Rachel Hadas, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025

But in the myth, spelled out in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, the oracle survived the sack of Troy and was later murdered by Clytemnestra, the avenging wife of the tragedy’s titular king. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2024

Like Flock, Motz is interested in the lore of female vengeance: Judith beheading Holofernes, Medea killing her sons to spite Jason, Clytemnestra stabbing Agamemnon in the bath. —Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024

Near the end of the play, Clytemnestra hauls into view a black sheet with the bloodied bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra. —Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Klytaimnēstra

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above