as in lady
a woman of high birth or social position
in the 19th century a number of American gentlewomen used their wealth and influence to further abolitionism, women's rights, and other worthy causes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gentlewoman
Those laughs are balanced with real world issues, and a longing for these gentlewomen locked into the suffocating zeitgeist of early 1800s British Regency.
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David John Chávez, Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2025
Social status and fashion conspired to make gentlewomen’s footwear of every sort flimsy.
—Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
The novelists’ parents were Patrick and Maria Brontë, an Irish clergyman and a Cornish gentlewoman who married in 1812.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
Rep Miller recognized Rep McBride as 'gentleman' and 'Mr.' NOT as 'gentlewoman' and 'Ms.' McBride is a MAN!!!
—Martha McHardy, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Maybe Kate can get Parton to hop back across the pond to play a few songs and, as a real Southern gentlewoman, teach those rather provincial Brits how to properly serve tea.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2023
In the north, Solomon knew, young oblates, the cherished daughters of gentlewomen, were given to the Lord out of the ranks of the nobility.
—Cynthia Ozick, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentlewoman
Noun
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After more than a decade of public struggles, 26-year-old Amber Glenn just won her third consecutive US title and will be the oldest US ladies’ singles skater to compete at the Olympics since 1927.—
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And, ladies and gentlemen, Duval, you the one.—
Noun
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Jeanne-Claude’s parents, a French general and countess, arrived in Petaluma the day before the scheduled completion.—
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De Saint Sernin’s spring show was inspired by his French nobility roots, specifically his grandmother, who was a countess.—
Noun
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Cate Blanchett is the queen of a relaxed, textured bob.—
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In some species, ants restructure their nests to slow the transmission of a lethal fungus and in others, ant queens eat infected brood to prevent the spread of disease and recover nutrients.—
Cite this Entry
“Gentlewoman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentlewoman. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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