maidenhood

noun

Definition of maidenhoodnext
as in girlhood

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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 maidenhood Even so, the belief in Mary’s life-long maidenhood is widely shared by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church and by some Lutherans. — Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maidenhood
  1. girlhood
  2. effeminacy
  3. womanhood
Noun
  • Chester Dale, whose bequest forms the core of the NGA’s Cassatt holdings, favored the range of her female subjects, from girlhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Now, she's been immortalized with a Barbie doll and the pink energy of girlhood is headed for State Farm Arena.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of girlhood
Noun
  • This horror at effeminacy echoes across Baldwin’s novels and essays.
    — Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The researchers theorized this could be in part because of greater stigma toward effeminacy in boys than masculinity in girls.
    — Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 4 Oct. 2023
Definition of effeminacy
Noun
  • The film reveals the inner beauty of the young women who compete in this celebration of womanhood.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In my own research, threatening a man’s sense of manhood – but not a woman’s womanhood – reliably provokes aggression, and the men who react most strongly are those who feel the most pressure to live up to masculine ideals.
    — Adam Stanaland, The Conversation, 20 July 2026
Definition of womanhood

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maiden
maidenhood
maidenly
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Cite this Entry

“Maidenhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maidenhood. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on maidenhood

Nglish: Translation of maidenhood for Spanish Speakers

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