1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

odalisque

noun

Definition of odalisquenext
1
as in slave

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in courtesan

Related 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 odalisque The pose recalls the odalisque, though the tone is godlike detachment, presiding over a catastrophic wreck. — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025 Mickalene Thomas gets a whole room for her paintings of Black odalisques, and Derrick Adams gets an entire wall of his male nudes. — Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2024 In art history, the odalisque is a female figure in repose, her body splayed out for the viewer’s eye to devour. — Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024 These women, usually sitting or lying, provide the base for each chaise longue’s form—turning the image of an odalisque into the furniture itself. — Camille Okhio, ELLE Decor, 30 Nov. 2022 Displayed as a conventional odalisque — a reclining nude — in an unexpectedly static five-minute video shot. — Christopher Knightart Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for odalisque
  1. slave
  2. courtesan
  3. bondman
  4. lover
  5. chattel
  6. servant
Noun
  • Cora, the granddaughter of a woman kidnapped from West Africa and sold into slavery, flees her captor’s plantation, plunging her into the book’s alternate steampunk reality where she is pursued by the merciless slave catcher Ridgeway.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In the 1800s, slaves stood on the southern bank and looked across to freedom.
    — Hannah Agran, Midwest Living, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of slave
Noun
  • Tarek Al Arian, who is best known for Arabic-language The Ladder and The Snake and Sons of Rizk franchises, is developing a drama about infamous early 20th Century French courtesan Marguerite Alibert.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 May 2026
  • The movie starred Ewan McGregor as Christian, a writer who ends up sucked into Paris' Bohemian movement, and Kidman as Satine, the star performer and courtesan at the titular cabaret.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Definition of courtesan
Noun
  • The judge at the time amended his bond to $3 million cash only, meaning he would only be released by providing the full amount and not having the sum guaranteed by a bondsman.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Megan Showers' bond was set at $20,000, but the judge gave her the ability to pay 10% through a bail bondsman, prosecutors said.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of bondman
Noun
  • The photographic record shows Wong arm-in-arm with numerous admirers, many of whom were her lovers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Llínas mugs the camera for laugh lines in the narration, rattles off a comically long list of Borges’ lovers, reveals halfway through that the score has been played, in part, off a toy xylophone.
    — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of lover
Noun
  • Men were masters over their women, their chattel, and their emotions.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and killed — and France never formally did away with it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Definition of chattel
Noun
  • Mom isn’t her kids’ servant, and these types of expectations aren’t kind, fair, or respectful.
    — Parents, Parents, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Wadsworth begins Clue as the seemingly subservient servant before gradually taking command of the entire picture.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of servant

Browse Nearby Words

ocular
odalisque
odalisques
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Odalisque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/odalisque. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on odalisque

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about odalisque

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 volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All