dames
Ladies, old slang
Dames is the plural of dame, a word with meanings that range from respectful to dismissive.
In British usage, Dame is an honorific title for women equivalent to Sir for men, denoting membership in certain orders of chivalry.
In American slang, especially from the mid-20th century, dame was a casual or mildly disrespectful term for a woman: Who's the dame in the red dress?
This usage now sounds dated or deliberately retro.
Women, respectfully addressed
- womenFemale adults collectively
- gentlewomenWomen of noble birth
- matronsMarried women of standing
- madamsFemale authority figures
belles · dowagers · matriarchs · socialites · heroines · damsels · maidens · countesses
Worldly and cultured
- refinedPurified or cultured
- classyStylishly elegant
- stylishFashionably elegant
- gracefulElegant in movement
poised · polished · genteel · dignified · cultured · fashionable · tasteful · chic
Honorary title of nobility
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
- BritishOf the United Kingdom
- CBEBritish imperial honor
- nobilityTitled ruling class
aristocracy · peerage · royalty · ceremony · investiture · distinction · recognition · pantomime
1920s modern young women
- speakeasiesIllicit liquor establishments
- CharlestonSouthern Atlantic port city
- prohibitionAuthoritative legal ban
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
molls · hard-boiled · gangster · slang · retro · old-fashioned · period · screwball
ladies
Women, respectfully addressed
- womenFemale adults collectively
- gentlewomenWomen of noble birth
- matronsMarried women of standing
madams · belles · dowagers · matriarchs · socialites · heroines · damsels · maidens · countesses · duchesses
sophisticated
Worldly and cultured
graceful · poised · polished · genteel · dignified · cultured · fashionable · tasteful · chic · glamorous
knighthood
Honorary title of nobility
nobility · aristocracy · peerage · royalty · ceremony · investiture · distinction · recognition · pantomime
flappers
1920s modern young women
- speakeasiesIllicit liquor establishments
- CharlestonSouthern Atlantic port city
- prohibitionAuthoritative legal ban
vaudeville · molls · hard-boiled · gangster · slang · retro · old-fashioned · period · screwball · comedies
- authorityleaders, ruler, rulers, monarch, bosses
- honoreeshonoree, honorees, award winner, awardee, awardees
- knighthoodknight, knights, knight errant, knights errant, Templars
- nobilityking, queen, prince, princess, duke
- womenmothers, women, females, gals, daughters
- theaterplays, stage, play, onstage, acting
damesladies
Women, respectfully addressed
gentlewomen · women · madams · matrons
- Notre DameFrench Gothic cathedral
- damsel in distressWoman needing rescue
- Notre-Dame CathedralMedieval Parisian basilica
- Notre Dame CathedralMedieval Parisian Gothic church
- grande dameEsteemed senior woman
- Notre-Dame de ParisParisian Gothic cathedral