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 In Flossie’s new deal with Raq, her ladies now also deliver narcotics to buyers. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 3 July 2026 Brown had been expecting soup and sandwiches, but the ladies had made a fuss. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026 And his teacher or mentor was a lady known as Gabriela Mistral. — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 Mindy Kaling fondly recalled a perspective-shifting conversation with the funny ladies from 20 years back on Tuesday's episode of Poehler's Good Hang podcast. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 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
  • When not working, Carson enjoys playing chess, traveling, and cheering on the men's and women's basketball teams at his alma mater, the University of Connecticut.
    — The Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2026
  • The Five Star Weekend (Peacock) Jennifer Garner’s new series, The Five Star Weekend, based on the novel by Elin Hilderbrand, is about a woman who invites friends from her past to visit her luxury Nantucket estate for a weekend of girl stuff.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
Definition of woman
Noun
  • The Seasnake, who has lost his wife and his heir to her war, is justifiably livid.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
  • His third wife, Cuban model Sheila Mariño, gave birth to their son in June.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of wife
Noun
  • Jarman and Karen Spencer were previously embroiled in legal proceedings after the archeologist sued the countess in 2024, People and The Times reported.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 19 May 2026
  • But the countess couldn’t stop wondering where Alberta’s dress could be.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Definition of countess
Noun
  • An unscrupulous politician whose opponent happens to be Virgil’s girlfriend, Marie?
    — Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 10 July 2026
  • And never mind the allegations of volatile behavior from a couple of past girlfriends; one of them is a Republican activist.
    — Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
Definition of girlfriend
Noun
  • Courtesy of The Umbrella Girls Women and motorsports have long been linked going back to the 1970s when females on the international Formula 1 starting grid were the norm.
    — Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Adult males typically stand less than three feet tall at the shoulder, while females are even smaller.
    — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 10 July 2026
Definition of female
Noun
  • The queen, 78, brought her younger sister Annabel Elliott, 77, to day 10 of the tennis championships on Wednesday, July 8, as Britain battled another intense heatwave, with temperatures expecting to climb to 91°F in London.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • What do an entertaining queen, a pop legend, and a supermodel have in common?
    — Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of queen
Noun
  • Beyond their cool-girl air, the shoes offer plenty of support and cushioning thanks to their plush insoles that keep your arches comfortable for hours of strutting.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 7 July 2026
  • On the surface, the Supreme Court’s June 30 opinion upholding state laws barring transgender girls from women’s and girl’s sports teams looks like a victory for women’s rights.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of girl
Noun
  • Griffiths mentioned reports that the duchess really wanted to visit the Althorp estate near Birmingham, the ancestral home of the late Princess Diana where she also is buried.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
  • The duchess won the legal case and undisclosed damages over articles published in The Mail on Sunday and posted on MailOnline.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 7 July 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 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lady

Nglish: Translation of lady for Spanish Speakers

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 fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All