mistress

noun

mis·​tress ˈmi-strəs 

plural mistresses

1

: a woman who has power, authority, or ownership: such as

a

: the female head of a household

the mistress of the house

b

: a woman who employs or supervises servants

The servants did their mistress's bidding without question.

c

: a woman who possesses, owns, or controls something

the mistress of a large fortune

Whether mongrels or thoroughbreds … dogs have shared their masters' and mistresses' experiences in almost all walks of life.

—Robert Rosenblum

d

: a woman who is in charge of a school or other establishment : headmistress

Mrs. Goddard was the mistress of a school …

—Jane Austen

e

: a woman of the Scottish nobility having a status comparable to that of a master (see master sense 3b)

2

a

chiefly British : a female teacher or tutor

b

: a woman who has achieved mastery in some field

She was a mistress of music.

You learn how to chop throats and gouge eyes and stomp insteps … and after eight weeks you're given your diploma, which officially declares you a mistress of unarmed combat.

—Arthur R. Miller

c

: a woman considered especially notable for something

After penning several apocalyptic books, she became known as the mistress of doom.

3

: something personified as female that rules, directs, or dominates

… France was master of the Continent, England mistress of the seas.

—James MacGregor Burns

Yet he was sharp and self-interested enough (serving, that is, his demanding mistress, Painting) to write more than 400 letters …

—Ronald Pickvance

4

a

: a woman other than his wife with whom a married man has a continuing sexual relationship

b

archaic : sweetheart

5

a

—used archaically as a title prefixed to the name of a married or unmarried woman

b

chiefly Southern US and Midland US

—used as a conventional title of courtesy except when usage requires the substitution of a title of rank or an honorific or professional title before a married woman's surname : mrs. sense 1a

6

: an often professional dominatrix

With each addition of pain or restraint, he stiffens slightly, then falls into a deeper calm, a deeper peace, waiting to obey his mistress.

—Marianne Apostolides

Synonyms

• concubine
• doxy
• doxie
• other woman

Examples of mistress in a Sentence

The dog was always obedient to its master and mistress.

the master and mistress of the house

a married man who has a mistress

His wife suspected that the woman she'd seen with him was his mistress.

Recent Examples on the Web

Things get more complicated, perverse, even a bit kinky from there when Nevile marries his mistress (Mimi Keene) and then opts to summer at his aunt’s estate – with both his current wife and Audrey, his ex! —Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2025

He and his mistress — Ruth Davenport (Mary Stofle, David Lynch's then-sister-in-law), who's eventually found decapitated in her apartment — get caught in the crossfire between Dale Cooper's doppelgänger and the long-missing Major Garland Briggs (Don S. Davis). —Drew MacKie, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

This submissiveness in the teen-aged mistress Cassidy has found addictive, like a narcotic. —Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025

After long being recognized as a mistress, the now 77-year-old was eager to enjoy a quieter life without the scrutiny. —Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maistresse, from Anglo-French mestresse, feminine of mestre master — more at master

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mistress

• mistress of ceremonies

Rhymes for mistress

• headmistress
• postmistress
• schoolmistress

Kids Definition

mistress

noun

mis·​tress ˈmis-trəs 

1

: a woman who has control or authority like that of a master

the mistress of the household

2

: something considered as a female that rules or directs

3

: a woman to whom a man is not married and with whom he has a romantic relationship

4

—used formerly as a title before the name of a woman

Etymology

Middle English maistresse "mistress," from early French mestresse (same meaning), a feminine form of mestre "master" — related to master