debutante

Definition of debutantenext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debutante At balls that approximate what Bridgerton might be like if the charming debutantes were matched with white-haired monsters instead of handsome, age-appropriate nobles, Commanders spike their prospective Wives’ drinks. Judy Berman, Time, 8 Apr. 2026 For young Black girls, cotillions and debutante balls are more than just a coming of age ceremony. Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026 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 Portugal vs Uzbekistan Portugal's second match in Houston will be against debutante Uzbekistan. Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for debutante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debutante
Noun
  • Palace maids stand around a plump woman, struggling to fasten a black belt sash around her waist.
    Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026
  • The series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Morrow was part of a group of six women and girls from northeast Kansas and Texas, ranging from childhood to age 85, who visited the Brown site together June 12.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • BangkokReuters — The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase in Pattaya said they were devastated by her death, for which an Australian man has been arrested and charged with murder.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • In another, called Leucippe and Clitophon, Leucippe is saved from being sacrificed as a virgin by the timely appearance of an actor who uses theatre tricks used to perform deaths on stage to fake her death and spirit her away.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
  • Some recycled materials are on par, some are cheaper with virgin, others more expensive, and every single scenario is different.
    James Morris, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • Our best ingenues would queue to star as Dora and Nora.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Matthew Fisher and Josh Tongue were dismissed in two double-wicket maidens by Henry.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 June 2026
  • Across two stints, Magnussen made 185 starts in Formula One and raced for McLaren, Renault and Haas, recording a career-best runner-up finish in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix — his maiden start in F1.
    Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Debutante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debutante. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

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