demimondaine

noun

demi·​mon·​daine ˌde-mi-ˌmän-ˈdān How to pronounce demimondaine (audio)
-ˈmän-ˌdān,
ˌde-mē-
: a woman supported by a wealthy lover : a woman of the demimonde

Examples of demimondaine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To this day, she’s drawn to the bruise of blue that belies the kittenish blush, the tension between the girl next door and the demimondaine, who are not so far apart, who may even be one. Susan Dominus Photographs By Joshua Kissi Styled By Ian Bradley Sasha Weiss Photographs By Collier Schorr Styled By Jay Massacret Megan O’Grady Portrait By Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont Ligaya Mishan Photographs By Tina Barney, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2021 The object of Christian’s adoration is Satine, a nightclub chanteuse and demimondaine, almost past her prime and riddled with consumption. Ben Brantley, New York Times, 25 July 2019 Rather than a consistent narrative style, Phillips shapes the prose to reflect the stages of her life, from the powerless demimondaine to the outspoken feminist writer. Joan Gaylord, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2018

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

Word History

Etymology

French demi-mondaine, from feminine of demi-mondain, from demi-monde

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of demimondaine was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near demimondaine

Cite this Entry

“Demimondaine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demimondaine. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on demimondaine

Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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