Magdalene
noun
Mag·da·lene
ˈmag-də-ˌlēn 
variants
or less commonly Magdalen
or magdalene
or magdalen
plural Magadelenes also ; Magdalens or ; magdelenes also ; magdalens
1
old-fashioned
: a woman who engages in performing sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay
2
dated
: a house of refuge or reformatory for women who have engaged in performing sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay
Examples of Magdalene in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Using the real story of the Magdalene Laundries, writer Enda Walsh, working from the book by Claire Keegan, tells a story that hinges on a great moral dilemma.
—
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
Many of the babies born in the Magdalene Laundries, died from starvation, from the cold and from neglect.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Watson plays Sister Mary, whose convent is concealing a Magdalene Laundry, businesses run jointly by the Church and the Irish state where unwed mothers were consigned to repent of their sins, do hard labor and ultimately deliver their babies for adoption.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
The story’s Magdalene laundry was shot outside an existing convent.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
The doctor is haunted by the infamous, punitive, Magdalene laundries, to which, under his watch, an unwed mother and her baby were sent 20 years earlier.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Nov. 2024
Bill undergoes a moral crisis when his path crosses with a wretched head nun (Emily Watson) at a convent that’s part of the notorious Magdalene Laundries — a place of severe abuse of women.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
The story, adapted by Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan’s 2021 novella of the same name, places a human narrative on the stain of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
Among the offerings are Portrait of Margaret of Austria (ca. 1495) by Master of the Magdalene Legend, which comes with an estimate of $1.5 million to $2 million; Daniele Crespi’s Madonna and Child (ca. 1620), which has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000; and a ca.
—Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
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Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
Many of the babies born in the Magdalene Laundries, died from starvation, from the cold and from neglect.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Watson plays Sister Mary, whose convent is concealing a Magdalene Laundry, businesses run jointly by the Church and the Irish state where unwed mothers were consigned to repent of their sins, do hard labor and ultimately deliver their babies for adoption.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
The story’s Magdalene laundry was shot outside an existing convent.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
The doctor is haunted by the infamous, punitive, Magdalene laundries, to which, under his watch, an unwed mother and her baby were sent 20 years earlier.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Nov. 2024
Bill undergoes a moral crisis when his path crosses with a wretched head nun (Emily Watson) at a convent that’s part of the notorious Magdalene Laundries — a place of severe abuse of women.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
The story, adapted by Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan’s 2021 novella of the same name, places a human narrative on the stain of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
Among the offerings are Portrait of Margaret of Austria (ca. 1495) by Master of the Magdalene Legend, which comes with an estimate of $1.5 million to $2 million; Daniele Crespi’s Madonna and Child (ca. 1620), which has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000; and a ca.
—Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Magdalene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magdalene. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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