Meaning & use
damsel
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Meanings
nouncountableliteraryold-fashioned
A young unmarried woman, used in old stories and poetry.
Grammar: Countable noun: a damsel, two damsels. Now mostly literary or humorous.
Patterns
- a damsel in distress
In the tale, a brave knight sets out to rescue a damsel from the tower.
The painting shows a damsel in a long blue gown.
He spoke of her as a damsel from another age.
nouncountablehumorousold-fashioned
A girl or young woman, used humorously to suggest old-fashioned romance.
Grammar: Often used with a smile or in a playful tone; not for formal writing.
My daughter announced she was a damsel and needed rescuing from homework.
He arrived at the party like a knight escorting his damsel.
Word forms
| plural | damsels |
|---|
Common combinations
- damsel in distress
- The movie turns the old damsel in distress idea on its head.
- a fair damsel
- The story begins with a fair damsel in a garden.
- rescue a damsel
- In the legend, he rescues a damsel from a dragon.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- damselfly noun
- A thin insect with bright wings, similar to a dragonfly.
Commonly confused: damsel or damson?
damsel vs damson
A damson is a small purple fruit; damsel is a young woman in old stories. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'damsel' in the most natural way for modern English?
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'damsel in distress' is the main place damsel still appears, often with a playful or critical tone. The other options use damsel as a plain everyday word for a woman, which sounds old-fashioned or odd today.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “damsel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.