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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Fifty Four Seasons housekeepers, chefs, and other staff, who otherwise would have been unemployed, occupied a separate part of the hotel.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
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Roughly 82% of the Bay Area’s maids and housekeepers are immigrants, and close to 40% of the total are undocumented.—
Sara DiNatale,
San Francisco Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
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But the bar maids rallied together and eventually won their fight.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handmaidens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handmaidens. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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