woman of letters

noun phrase

: a woman who is a scholar

: a woman who is an author

Examples of woman of letters in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web August Wilhelm entered the employment of the French woman of letters Madame de Staël, and accompanied her on her travels. —

Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022

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

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of woman of letters was in 1818

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Woman of letters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman%20of%20letters. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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