maiden 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of maidennext
1
as in first
coming before all others in time or order the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unmarried
never having had sexual relations only maiden girls were allowed to serve as priestesses in that temple in ancient Roman times

Synonyms & Similar Words

maiden

2 of 2

noun

ˈmā-dᵊn How to pronounce maiden (audio)
as in girl
a young unmarried woman a story about a beautiful maiden and her mysterious father

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 maiden
Adjective
But Dhir got his maiden T20 wicket in the 12th over as Hope was out caught at midwicket. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Lily of the Valley Lily of the valley is a classic wedding bouquet, historically symbolizing the bride’s transition from maiden to married woman. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
Ritual gifts include incense, flowers, perfume, cosmetics and soap, which Hor said are believed to bring beauty and charm after being blessed by the cowherd and seven maidens. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 Skinner’s side reached the quarter-finals in their 2025-26 maiden Champions League campaign but failed to qualify for Europe this term after the depth of their squad was exposed amid a busy season. — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for maiden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maiden
  1. first
  2. unmarried
  3. girl
  4. initial
  5. virginal
  6. maid
  7. inaugural
  8. virgin
Adjective
  • Ukraine received no warning from its partners ahead of the first wave of attacks, and information about a second wave arrived too late for air raid sirens to be activated in time, air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television.
    — SAMYA KULLAB, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The model became the first real hit in the emerging athletic shoe industry.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of first
Adjective
  • The archaic legal restrictions restricting same-sex couples or unmarried women, for example, are acknowledged and adhered to, rather than being openly challenged or criticized.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Lizzie’s status as an unmarried 32-year-old woman at the time of Andrew and Abby’s deaths was highly unusual, however, leading some historians to speculate about her sexuality, which would not have been openly discussed in the Victorian era.
    — Emma Banks, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of unmarried
Noun
  • Such laws would require third-party audits of social media algorithms to identify any harmful patterns, such as serving eating-disorder content to young girls more than to other groups.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Two identical 64-year-old twins, both mid-sized, appeared alongside a zany mix of punky, straight and mid-size girls.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of girl
Adjective
  • When no one responds to the initial greeting, the caller tries again.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In the case of 3/1, 5/1 and 7/1 ARMs — three very common types — the initial term is three, five and seven years, respectively.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • For her portrayal of the virginal Catholic girl who persuades Terry to take a stand and make something of himself, Saint won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1955.
    — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The female figures of the Three Graces represent the literal gift of a woman giving her virginal body to a man as property bestowed upon a new owner.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of virginal
Noun
  • Adelaide said, with a vehemence that frightened Masha, the maid trying to spoon medicine into her clenched mouth.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
  • This is the kind of show where an opulent tea party is dramatized not just by many different plates of fancy pastries, fancy wreaths and lots of furniture, but by having all that stuff carted in by a dozen or so butlers, maids and other servants.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of maid
Adjective
  • Last year, for the inaugural report (which had a shorter time frame of October 2024 to August 2025), 38,134 acres of wine grapes were torn out.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The inaugural 12-team playoff included eight teams with at least two losses.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of inaugural
Adjective
  • According to the scientists, the alloys were produced entirely from recycled scrap without adding virgin iron.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The savings would come from reducing exposure to volatile and rising raw-material costs associated with virgin wood pulp and logging operations—risks that are intensifying as climate change makes forest fires more frequent and severe.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of virgin

Phrases Containing maiden

Browse Nearby Words

maid
maiden
maidenhood
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maiden. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All