jilt

play

verb \ˈjilt\

Definition of jilt

transitive verb
: to cast off or reject (someone, such as a lover) capriciously or unfeelingly a jilted lover

jilter

noun

See jilt defined for English-language learners

See jilt defined for kids

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Examples of jilt in a Sentence

She was crushed when he jilted her.
still trying to get over being jilted by his longtime girlfriend

Recent Examples of jilt from the Web

Few in the administration were thrilled to see the president disown a longtime U.S. ally over Twitter (Jared Kushner, whose family had recently been jilted by a major Qatari investor, was an exception).

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Report: UAE Orchestrated Qatar Feud by Spreading Fake News," 17 July 2017
But Pip is a victim himself, manipulated by the depraved Miss Havisham, who is taking revenge on all mankind after being jilted on her wedding day, her weapon being her...

— WSJ, "Anthony Horowitz," 9 June 2017
There was no guarantee, after all, that the city jilted for 2024 would vie for the Games in 2028.

— andrew keh, New York Times, "I.O.C. Paves Way for Paris and Los Angeles to Host Summer Games," 9 June 2017
The Wedding Plan (Not previewed) In Israel, an Orthodox Jewish woman (Noa Kooler) jilted by her fiancé decides to proceed with her plans, enlisting the help of matchmakers in hopes of finding a suitable groom who will appear before the wedding day.

— Philly.com, "Movies: New and Noteworthy," 28 May 2017
This love story comes with no guarantees: The Brickyard just may jilt him.

— Washington Post, "Curses! Andretti weary of talking Indy 500 disappointment," 25 May 2017
This love story comes with no guarantees: The Brickyard just may jilt him.

— dan gelston, The Seattle Times, "Curses! Andretti weary of talking Indy 500 disappointment," 24 May 2017
Snatched R Jilted by her boyfriend, a young woman convinces her mother to join her on a trip to paradise that turns out to be a survival nightmare.

— guy hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers — 'Alien: Covenant' opens Friday," 17 May 2017
Emily, jilted by all her friends, ends up asking her mother Linda (Hawn, in her first movie role in 15 years) to go with her.

— will leitch, New Republic, "Snatched: What Is Goldie Hawn Doing in This Movie?," 10 May 2017

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

Did You Know?

Jilt traces back to the English dialect noun jillet ("a flirtatious girl"), itself from Jill or Gill (used both as a proper name and as a noun meaning "girl") plus the diminutive suffix -et. Jilt itself came into use in the second half of the 17th century as a noun meaning "an unchaste woman" (a sense that is now obsolete) or "a woman who capriciously casts a lover aside," and also as a verb used for the actions of such a woman. These days, the person doing the jilting can be either male or female, and though jilt usually implies the sudden ending of a romantic relationship, it can also be used beyond the context of a romantic relationship with the broader meaning "to sever close relations with."