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.
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Recent Examples of debutantes
The building was popular with debutantes.
—
Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
Like many other balls, the Opera Ball opens with a waltz performed by 160 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young couples, who are referred to as debutantes.
—Valeriya Safronova, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Each year, noteworthy families flock to the famed Hotel Shangri-La in Paris for a formal celebration of the debutantes, who traditionally work with designers to dream up bespoke haute couture gowns.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Even at some of the dressiest Mardi Gras balls in the city, you’re guaranteed to find debutantes and knights alike gathered around a table full of Foosackly’s.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2025
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
Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
Like many other balls, the Opera Ball opens with a waltz performed by 160 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young couples, who are referred to as debutantes.
—Valeriya Safronova, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Each year, noteworthy families flock to the famed Hotel Shangri-La in Paris for a formal celebration of the debutantes, who traditionally work with designers to dream up bespoke haute couture gowns.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Even at some of the dressiest Mardi Gras balls in the city, you’re guaranteed to find debutantes and knights alike gathered around a table full of Foosackly’s.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debutantes
Noun
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Specifically, household staff like housekeepers, ladies' maids and valets.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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And the maids are also people who hold the gossip in all the households, and the people who really talk.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Iranian state media has reported that a girls' school in southern Iran was hit in an airstrike on Saturday, killing at least 165 people and wounding dozens more.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Northwest Catholic girls basketball team, which has won three straight state titles, will try to win its fourth the weekend of March 21-22 at Mohegan Sun Arena.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But fans of the myth of Erzsébet Báthory, who was accused circa the early 17th century of killing young virgins to bathe in their blood for her own beautification, might be let down by what’s ultimately a silly, madcap Vienna adventure.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
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The film, directed by renowned German New Wave artist and filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, is the latest retelling of the story of Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Báthory, a real-life aristocrat accused of bathing in the blood of virgins to retain her youth.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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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The court maidens this year are Kennedy Kuntz and Sidney Hoover.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Their breakthrough arrives with a performance of Temple Maiden, a dance tracing the love and envy of two maidens who turn into serpents.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debutantes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debutantes. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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