countess

count·ess | \ ˈkau̇n-təs

How to pronounce countess (audio)

\

Definition of countess

1 : the wife or widow of an earl or count

2 : a woman who holds in her own right the rank of earl or count

Examples of countess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The remedy came from an Andean tree traditionally called quina, or china, that would later be given the genus name Cinchona in the countess’s honor. — Jill Langlois, National Geographic, "‘Hydroxychloroquine tea’ is being peddled as a coronavirus cure in Brazil. It's fake.," 4 June 2020 After visiting the Amazon rainforest in Peru, the Spanish countess of Cinchón fell ill with a high fever. — Jill Langlois, National Geographic, "‘Hydroxychloroquine tea’ is being peddled as a coronavirus cure in Brazil. It's fake.," 4 June 2020 There, guests included Oscar de la Renta, Arlene Dahl, the count and countess de Romanones of Spain, Margot Fonteyn, John and Patricia Kluge, Diane Sawyer, and Jerry Zipkin. — Ben Widdicombe, Town & Country, "How Imelda Marcos, the Wife of a Filipino Dictator, Became an Icon of ’80s Excess," 4 Nov. 2019 Its cavernous halls are inhabited only by three women: a widowed countess (Valeria Golino), her daughter Heloise (the appealing French star Adele Haenel), and Sophie, the maid (Luana Bajrami). — Jocelyn Noveck, Detroit Free Press, "Forbidden passion smolders in vivid ‘Lady on Fire’," 27 Feb. 2020 The plot is set in Brittany, France in 1770, and follows the young daughter of a French countess, who develops an attraction to a female artist commissioned to paint her wedding portrait. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "The Buzziest Movies Coming Out This Fall Are All Directed by Women," 26 Aug. 2019 The countess was witty, sarcastic and dryly resigned over all six of the show’s seasons. — Washington Post, "Don Draper, Eleven, Selina Meyer lead AP roles of the decade," 12 Dec. 2019 Marianne, the daughter of a celebrated painter, is brought over from the mainland by a countess (Valeria Golino) who is desperate to marry her daughter Héloïse to a Milanese nobleman. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "The Most Enthralling Movie of the Year," 4 Dec. 2019 According to the royal family's official website, the countess has a series of engagements in the coming days, some of which require traveling across the Atlantic. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "A British Royal Is Heading to New York and Toronto This Week," 9 Nov. 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about countess

Dictionary Entries near countess

Statistics for countess

Last Updated

22 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Countess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countess. Accessed 5 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

deracinate

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

A More Exception(al) Quiz

Which of the following words is not a synonym for ‘a young person’?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.