spinsterhood
Never having married
Spinsterhood is the state of being an unmarried woman, especially one past the conventional age for marriage.
The term carries old-fashioned and sometimes disparaging connotations, implying a woman has been left on the shelf: She embraced spinsterhood rather than settle for the wrong man.
The word has largely fallen out of use as marriage expectations have shifted.
Unmarried state
- unwedNot hitched
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
- never-marriedWithout matrimonial history
- unattachedNot joined or connected
bachelorette · partnerless · childless · singleton · eligible · husbandless · ringless · uncoupled
Independence from outside aid
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
self-determination · self-fulfillment · unencumbered · liberated · self-directed · nonconformity · individualism · choice
Excessively concerned with propriety
- shrewishIll-tempered and nagging
- bitterSharp, unpleasant taste
- eccentricUnconventional in character
- frumpyDrab and unstylish
reclusive · pitied · gossipy · matronly · lonely-hearts · wallflower · unchosen · unwanted
Old and outdated
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- VictorianOf a prim era
Edwardian · bygone · anachronistic · obsolete · patriarchal · traditional · historical · nineteenth-century
Voluntary withdrawal from society
- quietudeState of calm stillness
- privacyFreedom from observation
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
serenity · peacefulness · aloneness · retreat · withdrawal · tranquility · hermitage · reclusiveness
Causing feelings of disgrace
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
- judgmentalInclined to criticize others
- ostracismBanishment from a group
- exclusionBeing barred from participation
taboo · pitied · unmarriageable · patronized
singlehood
Unmarried state
- unwedNot hitched
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
- never-marriedWithout matrimonial history
unattached · bachelorette · partnerless · childless · singleton · eligible · husbandless · ringless · uncoupled · unmarried
self-sufficiency
Independence from outside aid
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
self-reliance · self-determination · self-fulfillment · unencumbered · liberated · self-directed · nonconformity · individualism · choice · confidence
prudish
Excessively concerned with propriety
frumpy · reclusive · pitied · gossipy · matronly · lonely-hearts · wallflower · unchosen · unwanted · bluestocking
antiquated
Old and outdated
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
Victorian · Edwardian · bygone · anachronistic · obsolete · patriarchal · traditional · historical · nineteenth-century · maiden
seclusion
Voluntary withdrawal from society
- quietudeState of calm stillness
- privacyFreedom from observation
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
contemplation · serenity · peacefulness · aloneness · retreat · withdrawal · tranquility · hermitage · reclusiveness · solitariness
shaming
Causing feelings of disgrace
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
- judgmentalInclined to criticize others
- ostracismBanishment from a group
exclusion · taboo · pitied · unmarriageable · patronized
- Regency eraseason, patronesses, patroness, Prince Regent, Jane Austen
- Victorian fictionJane Eyre, gothic fiction, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist
spinsterhoodmarriage
Formal union between partners
matrimony · wedlock · wifehood · married life · wedded bliss