lady

noun

ˈlā-dē How to pronounce lady (audio)
Definition of ladynext
1
as in woman
an adult female human being "ladies and gentlemen, please observe closely," said the magician

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in wife
a female partner in a marriage in public the husband was frequently seen holding hands with his lady

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in countess
a woman of high birth or social position the ladies of the royal court were all dressed extravagantly

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in girlfriend
a female romantic companion when do we get to meet your new lady?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lady The ladies were also joined by VMAs nominee Sombr and, randomly, Seth Rogen. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2026 Basner arrived there from a five-year stint selling ladies knitted sweaters. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2026 If warm and dry conditions persist into fall, cool-season pests like rodents, Asian lady beetles, and boxelder bugs may show up later than normal. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 25 Sep. 2026 Still, there’s no panic from the ladies in seafoam even after watching two stars hobbled in a matter of days as the regular season ended. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lady
  1. woman
  2. wife
  3. countess
  4. girlfriend
  5. female
  6. queen
  7. girl
  8. duchess
Noun
  • The Liberty had a rough regular season in the WNBA, falling to eighth place despite having several women’s basketball headliners on the roster.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • With the late morning liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of woman
Noun
  • Eddie Redmayne, attending with his wife Hannah, was in designer fan mode.
    — Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • As 2016 neared, Thomas’ bandmates expected to reconvene for a 20th anniversary tour, however he was focused on 2015’s The Great Unknown, largely inspired by wife Marisol’s grueling health battles.
    — Leena Tailor, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of wife
Noun
  • When Bridget and Lizzie meet in Monster, the two bond over a French book that Bridget has with her, an account of the 16th-century countess Elizabeth Báthory (called Elizabetta on the show, also played by Vicky Krieps).
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The countess’ tale highlights the obsession with women’s appearances across time while adding to the show’s fun campiness and gothic nature.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of countess
Noun
  • The allegations against Ross in the affidavit appear to align with claims his ex-girlfriend shared earlier this week.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Last week, Ross’ former girlfriend publicly accused him on social media of abusing her during their relationship.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of girlfriend
Noun
  • He was later identified 32-year-old Evin Sims of Matthews, and arrested on two misdemeanor counts of assault on a female, court records show.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
  • These top predators require large home ranges to live and hunt in, about 200 square miles (518 square kilometers) for males and 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) for females, so space is a scarce resource.
    — Timothy Randhir, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of female
Noun
  • Though the film initially received criticism for its unconventional portrayal of the young French queen (intentionally opting for an anachronistically stylish over stuffily period-appropriate approach), 20 years later, its legacy is undeniable.
    — Stephanie Sporn, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Now, the king and queen apparently want to bury the hatchet with Harry and Meghan—but the same can’t be said for Prince William.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of queen
Noun
  • To help recruit a younger demographic, Clarins has teamed with Pop Mart to create product packaging featuring an illustrated girl character, named Molly in Paris.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Excellent, from the thorough and intuitive spa therapists, to the engaging and sweet girls who run the kids’ club, the generous ice-cream scoopers at the Haagen-Dazs counter, and the nothing-is-too-much-trouble front desk.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of girl
Noun
  • The dramatic result featured a Chantilly lace bodysuit, corseted overdress, and two long ribbons of duchess satin down the back.
    — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • While gearing up to send the Sussex children to their second school this month, the duchess was added to a Whatsapp group created for parents.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of duchess

Phrases Containing lady

Browse Nearby Words

lads
lady
lady-in-waiting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lady. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lady

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lady

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of regimen

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All