- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
handmaiden
noun
hand·maid·enˈhan(d)-ˌmā-dᵊn 
variants or less commonlyhandmaid
1
:a personal maid or female servant
2
:something whose essential function is to serve or assist
… criticism is not the enemy of art but rather itshandmaiden …—
Gary Michael
Gary MichaelSynonyms ofhandmaiden
Examples ofhandmaiden in a Sentence
the princess was intensely shy, and allowed only herhandmaiden to enter her chambers
Recent Examples on the WebDuring the Cold War, the military-industrial complex was driven by corporations that operated ashandmaidensto the state.—Franklin Foer,The Atlantic, 28 July 2025That is Esther and herhandmaidenin his painting, sure as life.—Adam Gopnik,New Yorker, 19 July 2025That’s for the courts to say, not Trump’shandmaidensin cruelty.—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025There’s a New Spirituality in Pop Music June 7, 1987As religion and crypto-religion were locked in mortal combat, the AIDS plague was sweeping across gay communities like a firestorm, to the complete indifference of the federal government and their Christianhandmaidens.—Marc Weingarten,Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025See All Example Sentences forhandmaiden
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.
Franklin Foer,The Atlantic, 28 July 2025That is Esther and herhandmaidenin his painting, sure as life.—Adam Gopnik,New Yorker, 19 July 2025That’s for the courts to say, not Trump’shandmaidensin cruelty.—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025There’s a New Spirituality in Pop Music June 7, 1987As religion and crypto-religion were locked in mortal combat, the AIDS plague was sweeping across gay communities like a firestorm, to the complete indifference of the federal government and their Christianhandmaidens.—Marc Weingarten,Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025See All Example Sentences forhandmaidenWord History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined atsense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use ofhandmaiden was in the 14th centuryBrowse Nearby Words
Cite this Entry
“Handmaiden.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handmaiden. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridgedMore from Merriam-Webster
[8]ページ先頭
©2009-2026 Movatter.jp