hamlet

1 of 2

noun (1)

ham·​let ˈham-lət 

: a small village

Hamlet

2 of 2

noun (2)

Ham·​let ˈham-lət 

: a legendary Danish prince and hero of Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Synonyms of hamlet

Noun (1)

• village

Examples of hamlet in a Sentence

Noun (1)

she always longed to return to the quiet hamlet where she had been born

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In a mountain hamlet, avocado farming lifted once-poor families into the middle class, but opened the door to cartel extortion, kidnapping and fear. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

José Vicente is speaking to The Athletic outside his house in Alcalà de la Jovada, a hamlet of 128 people in the eastern Spanish province of Alicante. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

This pretty hamlet sits right on the Connecticut river in the foothills of the Green Mountains, so expect undulating blankets of colorful foliage in every direction. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026

At four o-clock in the morning on May 18, Ortiz and Simon reached a shelter outside the French hamlet of Artigues. — Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French hamelet, diminutive of ham village, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English hām village, home

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1601, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hamlet

noun

ham·​let ˈham-lət 

: a small village