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
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
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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When the gross lord of the manor tries to assault one of Sophie's fellow maids, Sophie stands up to him, but then the violent creep is about to harm Sophie.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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This led organically to feelings of love for one’s Black nannies and friendship with the children of your Black live-in maids, but this warmth had to be suppressed.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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On average, boys develop planning, organization, and emotional regulation later than girls.—
Dr. Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The scrutiny from the EU comes after Grok sparked a global backlash by allowing users, through its AI image generation and editing capabilities, to undress people, putting women and girls in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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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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
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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 1 Feb. 2026.
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