bachelorette

bachelorette — noun

1. an adult woman, especially a younger one in her twenties or thirties, who has ne

1.nounC1
Definition

an adult woman, especially a younger one in her twenties or thirties, who has never been married.

Example

Anaya threw a wild bachelorette party in Las Vegas the weekend before her wedding.

common collocation: bachelorette party

At thirty-two, Uri was a happy bachelorette with her own apartment and a busy career.

Common collocations
  • bachelorette party
  • bachelorette weekend
  • bachelorette pad
  • eligible bachelorette
  • the show's bachelorette
Synonyms
  • single woman

    neutral, the most common everyday term

  • spinster

    old-fashioned and often negative; suggests a woman past typical marrying age

  • bachelor girl

    dated; an independent unmarried woman, popular in mid-20th-century English

Antonyms
  • wife

    a woman who is currently married

  • bride

    a woman on her wedding day or just married

Usage Note

Mainly North American English; the British equivalent for the pre-wedding party sense is 'hen night' or 'hen party'. Outside the fixed phrase 'bachelorette party', the noun on its own can sound slightly old-fashioned or playful.

Common Mistakes

My brother had a bachelorette party last weekend.
My brother had a bachelor party last weekend.
'bachelorette' is for women only; the male equivalent is 'bachelor'.
She is a bachelorette mother of two.
She is a single mother of two.
'bachelorette' suggests no marriage and usually no children; use 'single' for a woman raising kids alone.

Word family

  • bachelor
    nounB2
  • bachelorhood
    nounC2
  • bachelorette party
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four refer to women who are not married, but they differ sharply in tone and modern usage. 'Single woman' is the safest, most neutral choice in everyday speech and on official forms; it carries no judgment about age or lifestyle. 'Bachelorette' is light and slightly playful, most often heard in the fixed phrase 'bachelorette party' or in dating-show titles, and it usually pictures a younger woman who is socially active. 'Spinster' sounds old-fashioned and often unkind, hinting that a woman is past the usual age for marriage. 'Bachelor girl' is dated and almost literary, suggesting an independent woman with her own flat. In short, say 'single woman' in formal contexts, 'bachelorette' for parties or fun, and avoid 'spinster' unless the tone is clearly historical.

bachelorette ↗single womanspinsterbachelor girl

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • eligible bachelorette
  • bachelorette party
  • bachelorette weekend

Etymology

Medieval LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishAmerican English

Formed in early 20th-century American English by adding the French-style feminine ending '-ette' to 'bachelor'. 'Bachelor' itself came into Middle English from Old French 'bacheler', a young knight or apprentice, with roots in Medieval Latin 'baccalarius'. The female ending '-ette' was borrowed from French to mark a smaller or feminine version, as in 'kitchenette' or 'usherette'. The word became widely popular in the United States from the 1930s onward, especially in social and media contexts.