variants
also handmaid
as in housekeeper
a female domestic servant
the princess was intensely shy, and allowed only her handmaiden to enter her chambers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handmaiden
That is Esther and her handmaiden in his painting, sure as life.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
That’s for the courts to say, not Trump’s handmaidens in cruelty.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
There’s a New Spirituality in Pop Music June 7, 1987
As religion and crypto-religion were locked in mortal combat, the AIDS plague was sweeping across gay communities like a firestorm, to the complete indifference of the federal government and their Christian handmaidens.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
And what the project means by the term—turning the Department of Energy into a handmaiden of the coal, oil and natural gas industry—betrays not only the taxpayer but science itself.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handmaiden
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
That’s for the courts to say, not Trump’s handmaidens in cruelty.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
There’s a New Spirituality in Pop Music June 7, 1987
As religion and crypto-religion were locked in mortal combat, the AIDS plague was sweeping across gay communities like a firestorm, to the complete indifference of the federal government and their Christian handmaidens.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
And what the project means by the term—turning the Department of Energy into a handmaiden of the coal, oil and natural gas industry—betrays not only the taxpayer but science itself.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handmaiden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handmaiden
Noun
-
This far removed from civilization, however, the balance of power flips, and the resourceful housekeeper takes control.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The service From the smiles that greet travellers at the front door to the housekeepers, restaurant staff, and pool attendants, there’s a sense of friendliness here that cascades down from the effortlessly charming general manager, Pep Lozano.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sophie, meanwhile, is a maid at Penwood House.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
2 Feb. 2026
-
In Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s, a young white woman teams up with two Black maids to document the realities of domestic work in segregated households.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handmaiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handmaiden. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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