benefactress

noun ben·e·fac·tress \ ˈbe-nə-ˌfak-tris \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Definition of benefactress

: a woman who is a benefactor

See benefactress defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of benefactress from the Web

Ragan had served as benefactress to his predecessor, and her money helped make Rosenberger the youngest House speaker in the nation.

— chrissie thompson, Cincinnati.com, "FBI visits luxury condo owned by heiress and rented by former Ohio Speaker Rosenberger," 9 June 2018
Looking for an alternative, Batchelder and Ragan – the statesman's longtime friend and benefactress – considered Rosenberger.

— jessie balmert, Cincinnati.com, "How one GOP heiress influenced the Ohio House – and its leader's demise," 23 Apr. 2018
Leading the festival last weekend was not Jurowski, but the amiable Stéphane Denève, whose longtime friend Wilmington philanthropist Tatiana Copeland was its benefactress.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Where dwells Rachmaninoff's ghost but in Philadelphia?," 1 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'benefactress.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.