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

Prominent members of the family include Barbara Villiers, a mistress of Charles II, and George’s son, also named George, who held the title of Second Duke of Buckingham. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

Osborne was the heir to a baronetcy; Cameron’s family descended from a mistress of William IV. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

Described at the time with the tried and true pop star declaration of being his most personal album to date, Confessions chronicles the drama in Usher's personal relationships, from breaking up to pregnant mistresses. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2024

Following Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile to Elba, kings and crown princes, ministers and spies, noble ladies and mistresses, soldiers of fortune, inventors, artists and concubines celebrate and negotiate in Vienna, where the fate of Europe is ultimately decided on the dance floor and in the boudoir. —Ed Meza, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024

So long as his beautiful mistress stood near, Ringo behaved with exemplary propriety. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024

Now single, Henry was free to marry his vivacious young mistress, Catherine Howard. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024

In the photographer Marion Post Wolcott’s famous photos, Black folks are dancing and gambling in makeshift buildings; even in The Color Purple, the night at the juke joint ends when a fight breaks out between a woman and her husband’s mistress. —Korsha Wilson, Bon Appétit, 11 Mar. 2024

His mother was Ursule, the mistress’s waiting maid. —Elizabeth Stone, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024

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

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