spinster
noun
spin·ster
ˈspin(t)-stər 
1
: a woman whose occupation is to spin
2
a
archaic
: an unmarried woman of gentle family
b
: an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying
3
: a woman who seems unlikely to marry
spinsterly
adjective
Examples of spinster in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vanya is a closeted gay man who shuns intimacy and Sonia is a neurotic spinster who feels unnoticed and unloved.
—
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
On The Gilded Age, Nixon plays Ada, the spinster sister of Agnes (Christine Baranski), in all three seasons.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025
An old spinster, and worse, a scandalous one.
—Grace Aldridge
august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
True, the last season did include a whole plot where Ada, an aging spinster, finally found an incredibly sentimental romance with a nice minister who then exits, via death, with the urgency of someone who’s been informed that their car alarm is going off outside.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spinster
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
On The Gilded Age, Nixon plays Ada, the spinster sister of Agnes (Christine Baranski), in all three seasons.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025
An old spinster, and worse, a scandalous one.
—Grace Aldridge
august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
True, the last season did include a whole plot where Ada, an aging spinster, finally found an incredibly sentimental romance with a nice minister who then exits, via death, with the urgency of someone who’s been informed that their car alarm is going off outside.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spinster
Cite this Entry
“Spinster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spinster. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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spinster
noun
spin·ster
ˈspin(t)-stər
1
: a woman whose occupation is to spin
2
: an unmarried woman past the usual age for marrying
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