as in matron
a dignified usually elderly woman of some rank or authority
the town's dowagers frequently shake their heads over the younger generation
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Recent Examples of dowager
There were pompous society dowagers with melting faces, young beauties with speckled dresses, unexpected sphinxes and nature spirits.
—
Will Heinrich, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
The dowager will absolutely be making sure that Nan stays in line and doesn't harm the institution.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023
From the artists of Washington Square to the dowagers and doormen of the Upper East Side was a cultural distance as great as any trip from Nebraska to New York.
—Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 June 2023
Thrones pushed the Emmy drama race out of its era of dowager countesses and troubled men and into one where robots and demogorgons could at least have a shot.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for dowager
Will Heinrich, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
The dowager will absolutely be making sure that Nan stays in line and doesn't harm the institution.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023
From the artists of Washington Square to the dowagers and doormen of the Upper East Side was a cultural distance as great as any trip from Nebraska to New York.
—Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 June 2023
Thrones pushed the Emmy drama race out of its era of dowager countesses and troubled men and into one where robots and demogorgons could at least have a shot.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for dowager
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowager
matron
Noun
-
Her version of the middle-aged matron was a gentle innocent who faced the world with an unself-conscious enthusiasm.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 Dec. 2025
-
It is named after Miss Ruby Stokes, who was a matron of the hospital in the 1920s.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
26 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dowager.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowager. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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