as in mistress
a female other than his wife with whom a married man has a continuing sexual relationship
the offspring of one of the monarch's concubines
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Recent Examples of concubine
But experts say the male-only succession system is structurally flawed and only worked previously thanks to the help of concubines who, until about 100 years ago, produced imperial children.
—
Mari Yamaguchi, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
Some of them were married (or given as concubines) to Inca nobles, others became priestesses, and some ended up as human sacrifices.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
Her cleverness catches the eye of Jinshi, a beautiful eunuch who oversees the Rear Palace’s operations, and Maomao is soon promoted to lady-in-waiting and taste tester to one of the Emperor’s favorite concubines.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
Royal gardens, peeling frescoes, and tiled mosaics are breathtaking in their beauty, but the zenith of any visit is a wander through the sultan’s harem, once home to hundreds of concubines and their eunuch guards.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for concubine
Mari Yamaguchi, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
Some of them were married (or given as concubines) to Inca nobles, others became priestesses, and some ended up as human sacrifices.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
Her cleverness catches the eye of Jinshi, a beautiful eunuch who oversees the Rear Palace’s operations, and Maomao is soon promoted to lady-in-waiting and taste tester to one of the Emperor’s favorite concubines.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
Royal gardens, peeling frescoes, and tiled mosaics are breathtaking in their beauty, but the zenith of any visit is a wander through the sultan’s harem, once home to hundreds of concubines and their eunuch guards.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for concubine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for concubine
Noun
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The multiple mistresses ruined his image; the countless injuries derailed his golf game.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
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Tom Hanks played McCoy, Melanie Griffith played his mistress, and Bruce Willis played a scurrilous journalist in the center of it all.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That’s probably why class-crossed lovers make such fertile ground for fiction—look at Heathcliff and Cathy, or poor Scudder and Maurice.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Options for 2026 include food cruises that travel through Burgundy and Provence and a 15-day wine lovers cruise on the Rhine and Seine Rivers.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Concubine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/concubine. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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