What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Mistress vs Lover - What's the difference?

mistress | lover |

As nouns the difference between mistress and lover

is that mistress is a woman, specifically one with great control, authority or ownership while lover is one who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

mistress

English

Noun

(es)
  • A woman, specifically one with great control, authority or ownership.
  • * , chapter=19
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=At the far end of the houses the head gardener stood waiting for his mistress , and he gave her strips of bass to tie up her nosegay. This she did slowly and laboriously, with knuckly old fingers that shook.}}
  • A female teacher.
  • A female partner in an extramarital relationship, generally including sexual relations.
  • A dominatrix.
  • * 2006 , Amelia May Kingston, The Triumph of Hope (page 376)
    • As part of BDSM play they can enhance the domineering tread of a mistress or hobble the steps of a slave.
  • A woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery over it.
  • * Addison
    • A letter desires all young wives to make themselves mistresses of Wingate's Arithmetic.
  • A woman regarded with love and devotion; a sweetheart.
    • (Clarendon)
  • (Scotland) A married woman; a wife.
  • * Sir (Walter Scott)
    • Several of the neighbouring mistresses had assembled to witness the event of this memorable evening.
  • (obsolete) The jack in the game of bowls.
    • (Beaumont and Fletcher)
  • female companion to a master

    • Usage notes

    In the sexual sense, mistress is narrowly taken to mean a woman involved in a committed'' extramarital relationship (an affair), often supported financially (a kept woman). It is broadly taken to mean a woman involved in an extramarital relationship regardless of the level of commitment, but requires more than a single act of adultery. Tiger Woods Does Not Have 11 “Mistresses”: His many paramours aren’t committed enough to merit that term. by Jesse Sheidlower, '', Dec. 10, 2009.

    Synonyms

    * (woman with control, authority or ownership''): boss (''applicable to either sex''), head (''applicable to either sex''), leader (''applicable to either sex ) * (female teacher ): schoolmarm * (woman who displaces a wife in the affections of a man''): bit on the side (''applicable to either sex ), fancy woman, , goomah * See also

    Antonyms

    Male equivalents: * (woman with control, authority or ownership ): master * (female teacher ): master * (female partner in an extramarital affair ): cicisbeo, fancy man * (dominatrix ): master

    Derived terms

    * headmistress * mistresshood * mistresslike * mistressship * mistressy * wardrobe mistress

    References

    See also

    * miss * Mrs

    lover

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (dialectal or obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, or girlfriend.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Love is blind, and lovers cannot see / The pretty follies that themselves commit.
  • A sexual partner.
  • A person who loves something.
    • a lover of fine wines
    a lover of his country
    • All right, me lover?

    Synonyms

    * (one who loves and cares) love, love interest, sweetheart, significant other, see also * (sexual partner) See * (person who loves something) connoisseur * (any friend) See

    Derived terms

    * lover's lane / lovers' lane