knights are celebrated in fairy tales for rescuing damsels in distress
Recent Examples on the WebSee recent attempts by Disney to broaden the scope of its Marvel and Star Wars franchises, or Nintendo this month transforming its popular damsel in distress Princess Zelda into a hero.—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2024 Initially the group’s damsel in distress, Daphne grew into a more independent character that could fend for herself.—Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2024 She’s been the damsel in distress (Dead Calm, Far and Away), the femme fatale (Moulin Rouge, The Human Stain), the unknowable ingenue (Birthday Girl, Dogville), the witch (Practical Magic, Bewitched).—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2024 Disney started making princess movies where the damsels saved each other rather than relying on a prince’s kiss.—Constance Grady, Vox, 2 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for damsel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'damsel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English damesel, from Anglo-French dameisele, from Vulgar Latin *domnicella young noblewoman, diminutive of Latin domina lady
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