as in maids
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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 debutantes
The Mitford sisters, as debutantes, were expected to quietly marry into their class and fade into the woodwork.
—
Mimi Pond, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Mimi Pond, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debutantes
Noun
-
Elsewhere in the castle, Malcolm’s sister, Maura Grant, comes across Dougal shtupping one of her maids up against a wall.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
10 Oct. 2025
-
As such, the race is on to get these budding butlers, maids, and models into the workforce.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This is true not just for girls but for boys as well.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Colvert, a 15-year-old from Pasadena, created the group to restore normalcy for teen girls affected by the devastating California wildfire, gathering beauty products, clothes and other personal supplies in a call that went viral.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to Castro, nuns, who were supposed to be professional virgins—no Duke of Monmouth for them—could try bloodletting or enemas for a cure.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This is a 1,000 year old tradition where two maidens are chosen to be slaughtered as repentance to one of their goddesses.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Prized 2-year-olds trained by Bob Baffert ran an impressive 1-2 in their debuts in Sunday’s opening race, a six-furlong test for maidens.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debutantes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debutantes. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share