doyenne

noun

doy·​enne dȯi-ˈ(y)en How to pronounce doyenne (audio) dwä-ˈyen How to pronounce doyenne (audio)
Synonyms of doyennenext
: a woman who is a doyen

Examples of doyenne in a Sentence

the doyenne of the fashion industry
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The emotional compass of the United Farm Workers of America for decades, the petite mother of 14 attained singular stature as a rule-breaking proto-feminist, godmother of the Chicano power movement and doyenne of American labor. — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 Before the work-at-home period of the pandemic, Branswell and Begley sat next to each other in the Boston newsroom, the doyennes of STAT, and of science journalism. — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 13 Oct. 2026 Annette Green, a doyenne of the beauty world who built the Fragrance Foundation into an industry force, has died. — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 More recently, Jacobs has donned long, clickety-clackety acrylic nails, a true fashion doyenne, and now favors his growing collection of tweed jackets. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for doyenne

Word History

Etymology

French, feminine of doyen

First Known Use

circa 1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of doyenne was circa 1897

Rhymes for doyenne

See All Rhymes for doyenne

Browse Nearby Words

doyen
doyenne
Doyle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doyenne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doyenne. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on doyenne

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for doyenne

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All