How to Use damsel in a Sentence

damsel

noun
  • Old screams are not so scary — that damsel-in-distress stuff doesn’t play now.
    — Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2020
  • These are no damsels in distress; these are femmes in control.
    — Jake Smith, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Swann spends a shocking amount of the movie being damsel-ed yet again.
    — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2021
  • Bob is a dude in distress and your gal pal is in damsel-to-the-rescue mode.
    — Author: Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 15 June 2019
  • Things are looking bleak, and there’s no one around to help this damsel in distress.
    — Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 27 June 2024
  • Now that Marienne is a damsel again, Joe loves her once more.
    — Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2021
  • Katharine Hepburn seems too strong to play a damsel in distress.
    — Susan Dunne, courant.com, 5 June 2017
  • Bix sometimes finds herself in the role of a damsel in distress.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 2 May 2025
  • The film’s heroes may not be so heroic and the damsels may not be in much distress.
    — Mark Olsen, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
  • The damsel in distress who trips over air in an action movie or the nerd who can never get the girl.
    — Kourtney Pope, refinery29.com, 7 July 2022
  • Hampered with a leg injury, the plucky Alex gets to be the damsel in distress.
    — Katie Walsh, kansascity, 5 Oct. 2017
  • White girls, meanwhile, are seen as damsels in distress, Borders said.
    — Gina Barton, USA Today, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Is the woman who walks into his office a femme fatale or a damsel in distress?
    — Leah Marilla Thomas, refinery29.com, 20 Aug. 2021
  • Our Cinderella is no longer the damsel in distress who needs saving.
    — Michael Gioia, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2022
  • Our Cinderella is no longer the damsel in distress who needs saving.
    — Michael Gioia, Peoplemag, 7 Dec. 2022
  • Our Cinderella is no longer the damsel in distress who needs saving.
    — Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023
  • Gone are the days of damsels in distress waiting for Prince Charming to save them.
    — Todd Plummer, Harper's BAZAAR, 26 May 2023
  • Princess Peach was the classic damsel in distress throughout most of the game series.
    — Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2023
  • In other words, a new way for Zelda to step out of the damsel role and into her own power.
    — Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Granted, that’s a small sample size, but the conclusion was clear as a damsel in distress’ skin.
    — The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2017
  • Forget the romantic trope of the knightly rescue of a damsel in a tower.
    — Tina Brown, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Mallory's knights and damsels, Lerner and Loewe's great tunes.
    — Philly.com, 30 Apr. 2017
  • Mulligan still does her best to imbue damsel with a deeper melancholy, but the script doesn’t give her much to work with.
    — Janey Tracey, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Smith always wanted to be Superman, the kind of hero who could swoop in and save the damsel in distress.
    — Helena Andrews-Dyer, Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2022
  • But the damsel isn’t in distress, the monster isn’t so bad, and some raunchy jokes may go over kids’ heads (but will likely delight parents).
    — Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
  • But the damsel isn’t in distress, the monster isn’t so bad, and some raunchy jokes may go over kids’ heads (but will likely delight parents).
    — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
  • Dark Towers, crooked wizard towers, towers with damsels in distress.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • In the old tales, Siya was depicted as one such damsel, betrothed to the warrior Maadi.
    — Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2021
  • The former damsels, now inspired by the text, all try to change their respective stores, set to the soundtrack of Spears’ pop hits.
    — Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 21 Aug. 2023
  • The witch is not always there to offer a poison apple, the prince is not always there to save the day, and the damsel is not always in distress.
    — Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 20 Oct. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'damsel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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