What does "maiden" mean?
A girl or an unmarried young woman.
Maiden
/ˈmeɪdən/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A girl or an unmarried young woman.
- Grammar: maiden is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: ax, babe, baby, bachelor girl.
- Useful contrasts: Master, crone, final.
- Usage evidence: The Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage.
How to use "maiden"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "maiden" 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 "maiden" 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 "maiden" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "maiden" 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 "maiden" is acting as adj, 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 "ax" 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 "maiden", 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 girl or an unmarried young woman. literary
- 2 One of the triune goddesses of the Lady in Wicca alongside the Crone and Mother representing a girl or a young woman
"[…] different stages of life as represented by our Lady as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage."
- 3 an unmarried girl (especially a virgin) wordnet
- 4 A female virgin. archaic
"She's unmarried and still a maiden."
- 5 (cricket) an over in which no runs are scored wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A man with no experience of sex, especially because of deliberate abstention. dialectal, obsolete
"As for that ſaid ſire Bors I wille be ſhryuen with a good wylle / Soo ſyr Bors was confeſſyd / and for al wymmen ſir Bors was a vyrgyne / ſauf for one / that was the doughter of kynge Brangorys / and on her he gat a child that hyghte Elayne / and ſauf for her ſyre Bors was a clene mayden[…]"
- 7 A maidservant.
- 8 A clothes maiden.
- 9 An unmarried woman, especially an older woman. archaic
- 10 A racehorse without any victory, i.e. one having a "virgin record".
- 11 A horse race in which all starters are maidens.
- 12 A Scottish counterpart of the guillotine. historical
"It had been customary during the whole civil war, to decapitate state criminals by the instrument called the maiden; but Montrose was condemned to a more ignominious death , by a gibbet thirty feet high"
- 13 A maiden over.
- 14 A machine for washing linen. obsolete
- 15 Alternative form of Maiden. alt-of, alternative
Adjective
- 1 Virgin. not-comparable
"a surprising old maiden lady"
- 2 Without offspring. not-comparable
- 3 Like or befitting a (young, unmarried) maiden. not-comparable
"Haue you no modeſty, no maiden ſhame, / No touch of baſhfulneſſe?"
- 4 Being a first occurrence or event. figuratively, not-comparable
"1975 was the year when West Indies won their maiden World Cup title."
- 5 Being an over in which no runs are scored. not-comparable
"He bowled a record twelve maiden overs in his spell of 8-33 in 21 overs."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Fresh; innocent; unpolluted; pure; hitherto unused. not-comparable
"Come Brother Iohn, full brauely haſt thou fleſht thy Maiden ſword."
- 7 Never having been captured or violated. not-comparable
"Victorie forsook him for ever since he ransacked the maiden town of Magdenburg"
- 8 Grown from seed and never pruned. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 serving to set in motion wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The constellation and zodiacal sign Virgo.
""'Tis the simplest thing in the world, sir," said Sheridan. "Virgo, the Maiden, follows Leo, the Lion, in society, as well as in the Zodiac.""
- 2 A surname.
- 3 Iron Maiden, a heavy metal band from England.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "maiden"?
Common synonyms include: ax, babe, baby, bachelor girl, bachelorlike, beardless.
How do you use "maiden" in a sentence?
The Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage.
How do you pronounce "maiden"?
Pronounced /ˈmeɪdən/.
Etymology
From Middle English mayden, meiden, from Old English mæġden (“girl”), originally a diminutive of mæġeþ (“girl”) via diminutive suffix -en, from Proto-West Germanic *magaþ, from Proto-Germanic *magaþs. Equivalent to maid + -en.