Meaning & use
lady of leisure
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A woman who does not have a paid job and spends her time on enjoyable activities.
Grammar: Countable and used with 'a': she is a lady of leisure.
Patterns
- a lady of leisure
- be a lady of leisure
After she sold her business, she became a lady of leisure and took up painting.
He joked that his retired mother was now a lady of leisure with a busy social calendar.
Being a lady of leisure sounds relaxing, but she missed having a purpose.
nouncountablehumorousdisapproving
A woman who appears to have plenty of free time because she does not seem to work.
Grammar: Often slightly humorous or critical when used about someone who could work.
Patterns
- play the lady of leisure
- live like a lady of leisure
She spends every afternoon at the cafe like a lady of leisure.
Stop playing the lady of leisure and help me carry these bags.
Word forms
| plural | ladies of leisure |
|---|
Common combinations
- become a lady of leisure
- After the sale of the company, she became a lady of leisure.
- live like a lady of leisure
- He inherited money and now lives like a lady of leisure.
- a real lady of leisure
- With a housekeeper and no job, she is a real lady of leisure.
- play the lady of leisure
- On weekends she plays the lady of leisure and sleeps until noon.
Word family
- gentleman of leisure noun
- The male equivalent: a man with no paid work who enjoys his free time.
Commonly confused: lady of leisure or lady-in-waiting?
lady of leisure vs lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female attendant at a royal court, not a woman with free time.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'lady of leisure' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A lady of leisure' means a woman without paid work who enjoys her free time, so the retired aunt fits. Option 0 contradicts the meaning, option 2 describes hard work, and option 3 uses 'lady' for a man.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lady of leisure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.