What does "hamlet" mean?
A small village or a group of houses.
Hamlet
/ˈhæm.lət/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small village or a group of houses.
- Grammar: hamlet is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: archbishopric, archdiocese, arrondissement, bailiwick.
- Useful contrasts: antagonist, baotou, bloomington.
- Usage evidence: It is said that "Hamlet" is the most interesting play ever written.
How to use "hamlet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hamlet" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hamlet" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hamlet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hamlet" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hamlet" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "archbishopric" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hamlet", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small village or a group of houses.
"No, no. It's a cute little town. Actually, I think they call it a "hamlet." That's how cute it is."
- 2 A protein complex of alpha-lactalbumin and oleic acid that induces apoptosis in tumor cells, but not in healthy cells. uncountable
- 3 a community of people smaller than a village wordnet
- 4 A village that does not have its own church. British
- 5 a settlement smaller than a town wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Any of the fish of the genus Hypoplectrus in the family Serranidae.
Proper Noun
- 1 A William Shakespeare play about the Danish royal family.
- 2 The eponymous main character of William Shakespeare's play, whose father's ghost, murdered by Hamlet's uncle, exhorts him to seek revenge.
- 3 A male given name.
- 4 A surname.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Marin County, California.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Mercer County, Illinois.
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Starke County, Indiana, named after John Hamlet.
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; A village in Hayes County, Nebraska, so-named as it was regarded as a hamlet.
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; A hamlet in Chautauqua County, New York.
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Richmond County, North Carolina.
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon, regarded as a hamlet.
- 12 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, so-named for its small size.
- 13 A locality in Alberta, Canada, named after William Hamlet.
- 14 A settlement in Gittisham parish, East Devon district, Devon, England, just outside Honiton (OS grid ref SY1499).
- 15 A hamlet in Yetminster parish and Chetnole parish, Dorset, England (OS grid ref ST5908).
Antonyms
Example
"It is said that "Hamlet" is the most interesting play ever written."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hamlet"?
Common synonyms include: archbishopric, archdiocese, arrondissement, bailiwick, bishopric, borough.
How do you use "hamlet" in a sentence?
It is said that "Hamlet" is the most interesting play ever written.
How do you pronounce "hamlet"?
Pronounced /ˈhæm.lət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English hamlet, hamelet, a borrowing from Old French hamelet, diminutive of Old French hamel, in turn diminutive of Old French ham, of Germanic origin, from Frankish *haim, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (whence English home). Equivalent to Middle English ham (“home, village”) + -let (“small”).
Etymology 2
From Latin Amlethus, as written by 13th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, and borrowed into English by way of François de Belleforest's French Hamlet, originally rendered as Hamblet in English. Ultimately from Old Danish Amlethæ, corresponding to Old Norse Amlóði (“fool”), claimed to be suggestive of the way that Hamlet acts in the play, from ama (“to annoy”).
Etymology 3
Acronym of Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumor cells, chosen to spell out Hamlet.