little ladies
Small female children
Little ladies is a patronizing or affectionate term for young girls or, more problematically, adult women.
When applied to children, it carries old-fashioned charm: The little ladies had a tea party.
When men use it for grown women, it tends to diminish and condescend, treating them as decorative rather than serious: Let the little ladies handle the refreshments.
- maidensUnmarried young women
- daughtersFemale offspring, plural
- girlsYoung female persons
- schoolgirlsFemale students at school
- finishing schoolInstitution teaching etiquette
sisters · dress-up · party dress · youthful · bonnet · ingenue · sugar and spice · petticoat · feminine · damsel · curtsies · nurseries · woman · tea party · pinafore · child · frock · princess
age/maturity
little ladiesladies
Women, respectfully addressed
old ladies · women · matrons · grandmothers · dowagers