damsel

noun

dam·​sel ˈdam-zəl 

variants or less commonly damosel or damozel

ˈda-mə-ˌzel 

: a young woman:

a

archaic : a young unmarried woman of noble birth

b

: girl

Synonyms

• demoiselle
• girl
• maid
• maiden
• miss

Examples of damsel in a Sentence

knights are celebrated in fairy tales for rescuing damsels in distress

Recent Examples on the Web

Bix sometimes finds herself in the role of a damsel in distress. —James Grebey, Vulture, 2 May 2025

But the excitement over defeating the evil scientists and saving the damsel is distorted by the sound of Gemma’s distressed cries. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025

That’s where actress Brandy Friday (Rae) finds herself, alongside an AI co-star that is a rendering of the late starlet Dorothy Chambers (Corrin) who portrays Brandy’s love interest, the stunning damsel Clara. —Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025

Too often, we’re only meant to play the roles we’ve been historically assigned: lone heroine, damsel in distress, princess, witch. —Maya Silver, Outside Online, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English damesel, from Anglo-French dameisele, from Vulgar Latin *domnicella young noblewoman, diminutive of Latin domina lady

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

damsel

noun

dam·​sel ˈdam-zəl 

variants also damosel or damozel

ˈdam-ə-ˌzel

: girl sense 1b, maiden

Etymology

Middle English damesel "damsel," from early French dameisele (same meaning), from Latin domina "lady, mistress" — related to dame