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Matronly vs Spinster - What's the difference?

matronly | spinster |

As an adjective matronly

is in the capacity of a matron; serving as a housekeeper or head nurse.

As an adverb matronly

is in the manner of a matron.

As a noun spinster is

a woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.

matronly

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • In the capacity of a matron; serving as a housekeeper or head nurse.
    • The matronly woman cared for the sick orphan.
  • Exuding the authority, wisdom, power, and intelligence of an experienced woman.
    • ...the matronly upper arms girls know about life and love and losing... Janeane Garofalo
  • Having the appearance of a mature woman, often of larger physical stature and somewhat unkempt or dowdy.
    • Gone is her matronly gray frizzy hair and those bushy brows, frumpy frock and old lady pearls. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/04/susan-boyle-gets-a-makeover-is-she-going-hollywood-already.html]

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • In the manner of a matron.
  • * {{quote-book, passage=The mother dressed matronly , in a bonnet and in black, always sat between her two big daughters, firm, directing, and repressed.
    • , title=Three Lives , author=Gertrude Stein , pageurl=http://books.google.ca/books?id=O2RiyQrWOv8C&pg=PA166&dq=%22dressed+matronly%22&hl=en&ei=Cm7lTsSXMYONigKZodG9Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y
  • v=onepage&q=%22dressed%20matronly%22&f=false
    • , page=166 , year=1906}}
  • * {{quote-book, passage=She was the same height and weight as Mother and had the same hairdo and dressed matronly like her. It was scary. She looked so much like Mother.
    • , title=The golden mountain: beyond the American dream , author=Irene Kai , page=214 , pageurl=http://books.google.ca/books?id=R7BuwsC5at0C&pg=PA214&dq=%22dressed+matronly%22&hl=en&ei=Cm7lTsSXMYONigKZodG9Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y
  • v=onepage&q=%22dressed%20matronly%22&f=false
    • , year=2004 , isbn=09744890-0-X}}
  • * {{quote-book, passage=“I had to dress matronly to get the position. I've had trouble with that before. I have actually been turned away for a position as stewardess because I was too pretty.”
    • , title=The One That Got Away , page=106 , pageurl=http://books.google.ca/books?id=JO2cAymBdGsC&pg=PA106&dq=%22dress+matronly%22&hl=en&ei=eHHlTvq6DK2GiQKhqpC2Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&sqi=2&redir_esc=y
  • v=onepage&q=%22dress%20matronly%22&f=false
    • , author=Kellianne Sweeny , date=2011-05-25 , isbn=978-1-4634-0906-7}}

    Anagrams

    *

    spinster

    English

    (wikipedia spinster)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.
  • * Coke
    • If a gentlewoman be termed a spinster , she may abate the writ.
  • One who spins (puts a spin on) a political media story so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance; a spin doctor, spin merchant or spin master.
  • (obsolete) Someone whose occupation was spinning thread.
  • * ~1601 , William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night , act II, scene IV:
    • The spinsters and the knitters in the sun.
  • (obsolete) A woman of evil life and character; so called from being forced to spin in a house of correction.
  • (rare) A spider; an insect (such as a silkworm) which spins thread.
    • (Webster 1913)

    Synonyms

    * old maid

    See also

    * bachelor * widow * divorcee ----