as in maid
a young upper-class woman who has begun going to special parties where she will meet and be seen by other people from the upper class
The invitation-only event is a prized ticket for the city's debutantes.
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Recent Examples of debutante
But, by the beginning of the Gilded Age in America in the 1870s, the sartorial code became the upper class’s go-to for the opera, debutante balls, and any of the fancy-dress parties thrown by socialites of the day.
—
Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
Several players, from 19-year-old Indian Wells debutante Victoria Mboko of Canada to 45-year-old Williams, who first competed here 30 years ago in 1996, have already gotten a taste during the tournament’s opening days.
—Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Portugal vs Uzbekistan Portugal's second match in Houston will be against debutante Uzbekistan.
—Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
The building was popular with debutantes.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debutante
Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
Several players, from 19-year-old Indian Wells debutante Victoria Mboko of Canada to 45-year-old Williams, who first competed here 30 years ago in 1996, have already gotten a taste during the tournament’s opening days.
—Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Portugal vs Uzbekistan Portugal's second match in Houston will be against debutante Uzbekistan.
—Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
The building was popular with debutantes.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debutante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debutante
Noun
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Born in San Antonio to a mother who was a maid to his aristocratic father, who refused to claim him.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
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Among them was Viola Davis, who earned her second Oscar nomination for portraying Aibileen Clark, a maid working for a white family in the 1960s.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Teen Choice Awards for her time as iconic mean girl Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl?—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Hester referred to Suski signing onto a friend of the court brief in support of a suit challenging West Virginia's law banning transgender girls from competing on female high school or college teams.—
Ryan Anderson,
Arkansas Online,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The mass executions of political prisoners in 1988 are well documented—including the fact that some young women among them were first raped by their guards, on the theologically dubious premise that virgins could not be executed.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
27 May 2026
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How many spells were cast, how many virgins were sacrificed, how many first-borns were murdered so that this could happen?—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
Noun
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At one point, the Phantom and Christine, the ingenue and the object of his obsession, glide toward you in a gondola, crossing an underground lake.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Mar. 2026
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Seen on the likes of Pamela Anderson, Ariana Grande, and most recently, Vera Wang, the micro bang was first popularized in the 1950s by film ingenues like Audrey Hepburn.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Ahead of a 2017 Formula E race in Berlin, Rosenqvist was excitedly laying plans for another IndyCar test with Ganassi after a maiden outing the previous year.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
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Many fans thought the original covers of Pratchett’s novels went too heavy on busty maidens and strapping men with big swords, undermining their literary merit, and a similar problem has beset the various screen adaptations from Sky and the BBC.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Kemper and her older sister (far left) posed with another deb dressed in pink, Reagan Sacks (far right), who brought some drama to the blush color in a tulle Schiaparelli gown.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
2 Dec. 2025
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The viral video showed Martin, dressed in custom blue Valentino, in a moment with another deb, French countess Aliénor Loppin de Montmort.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
18 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Debutante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debutante. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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