variants
also handmaids
as in housekeepers
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 handmaidens
The common foe of all is expansionist Iran and its handmaidens Hamas and Hezbollah.
—
Josef Joffe, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Josef Joffe, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handmaidens
Noun
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During turndown, housekeepers leave artisanal soap and sachets of lavender instead of the standard chocolates on the pillow.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
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The union represents about 1,700 workers at Northwestern Memorial, including dietary workers, housekeepers and patient care technicians, among others.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The movie does attempt to gesture at class and race as thematic underpinnings (the maids trapped in The Virgil are mostly non-white, while the villains are rich Caucasians), but like the story and action at large, these go pretty much nowhere, and feel like obligatory symbols.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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One former chef later told federal investigators how Epstein would take a girl to his master bedroom every hour, and after his massage, the maids would go make the bed and clean up.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handmaidens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handmaidens. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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