spinster

1 of 2

noun (1)

spin·​ster ˈspin(t)-stər 

1

: a woman whose occupation is to spin

2

a

archaic : an unmarried woman of a family of high social station

b

: an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying

3

: a woman who seems unlikely to marry

spinsterhood

ˈspin(t)-stər-ˌhu̇d 

noun

spinsterish

ˈspin(t)-st(ə-)rish 

adjective

spinsterly adjective

spinsterhood

2 of 2

noun (2)

spin·​ster·​hood -ˌhu̇d 

: the state or condition of being a spinster : old maidhood

Examples of spinster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Since no will stating otherwise was ever found, if Lizzie’s father, Andrew, predeceased his wife, then her stepmother was to inherit his fortune, while the two spinster daughters would receive nothing. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026

The eight-episode season will star Ella Beatty as the (allegedly) hatchet-wielding spinster accused and acquitted of killing her father and stepmother in the trial of the century. — Dan Medeiros, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

The cast’s sole survivor is Jessica Hecht, who pours miraculous warmth and complexity into her faintly insulting role as Colleen, the head teller, a morally upright spinster goosed by her flirtation with Sonny and the spotlight. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

There would be some updates—instead of a spinster, my protagonist, Clemence Lathbury, is a divorcee. — Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spinster

• minster
• axminster

Kids Definition

spinster

noun

spin·​ster ˈspin(t)-stər 

1

: a woman whose occupation is to spin

2

: an unmarried woman past the usual age for marrying

spinsterhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

spinsterish

-st(ə-)rish 

adjective

spinsterly adverb