dowager

noun

ˈdau̇-i-jər How to pronounce dowager (audio)
Definition of dowagernext
as in matron
a dignified usually elderly woman of some rank or authority the town's dowagers frequently shake their heads over the younger generation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 dowager There were pompous society dowagers with melting faces, young beauties with speckled dresses, unexpected sphinxes and nature spirits. — Will Heinrich, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024 The empress dowager’s legacy Empress Dowager Ling was largely unsuccessful in her bid for power. — Stephanie Balkwill, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025 From the artists of Washington Square to the dowagers and doormen of the Upper East Side was a cultural distance as great as any trip from Nebraska to New York. — Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 June 2023 The show’s underpinned by the differences in character and country of Lady Cora and her formidable mother-in-law, the dowager Countess Violet Crawley, played by the equally formidable and much missed Dame Maggie Smith. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for dowager
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowager
matron
Noun
  • Since then, Hills has worked in various hospitals and wards, including spending 10 years as a ward sister and a matron, which are both senior roles for nurses.
    — Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 27 June 2026
  • How did a young Upper East Side matron with a small daughter and a dormant career as an art historian get here?
    — Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail, 27 June 2026
Definition of matron

Browse Nearby Words

dovish
dowager
dowagers
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Cite this Entry

“Dowager.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowager. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dowager

Nglish: Translation of dowager for Spanish Speakers

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