What does "varlet" mean?
A servant or attendant.
Varlet
/ˈvɑːlət/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A servant or attendant.
- Grammar: varlet is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: page, attendant, flunky, henchman.
- Useful contrasts: boss, lord, master.
- Usage evidence: An ape's an ape, a varlet's a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet.
How to use "varlet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "varlet" 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 "varlet" 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 "varlet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "varlet" 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 "varlet" is acting as 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 "page" 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 "varlet", 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 servant or attendant. obsolete
"The varlet, or follower of the merchant, who was still a youth, though his vigorous frame and embrowned cheek denoted equally severe exercise and rude exposure, started and reddened at this free inquiry, which was enforced by a hand slapped familiarly on his knee, and such a squeeze of the leg as denoted the freedom of the camp."
- 2 in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood wordnet
- 3 Specifically, a youth acting as a knight's attendant at the beginning of his training for knighthood. historical
"[T]here was a little, sleek, fat clerk of the name of Chaucer, who was so apt at rondel, sirvente, or tonson, that no man dare give back a foot from the walls, lest he find it all set down in his rhymes and sung by every underling and varlet in the camp."
- 4 a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel wordnet
- 5 A rogue or scoundrel. archaic
"[W]hen the worlde is fraughted with ſo manye varlettes, that it will be a long time ere a man ſhall diſcerne the faythful from the Hipocrites."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The jack. obsolete
Example
"An ape's an ape, a varlet's a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "varlet"?
Common synonyms include: page, attendant, flunky, henchman, knave, lackey.
How do you use "varlet" in a sentence?
An ape's an ape, a varlet's a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet.
How do you pronounce "varlet"?
Pronounced /ˈvɑːlət/.
Etymology
From Middle English varlet, varlette, from Old French varlet, variant of vadlet, vallet, vaslet. Doublet of valet.