young ladies
Girls approaching womanhood
Young ladies is a somewhat formal or old-fashioned way of addressing or referring to girls or young women.
It can sound courteous or affectionate: Good morning, young ladies.
In other contexts it carries a note of gentle reproach or correction: Young ladies do not use that kind of language.
The phrase sometimes feels quaint or condescending depending on tone and speaker.
- lassesYoung women or girls
- girlsYoung female persons
- maidenUnmarried young woman
- fair maidensAttractive young women
- señoritaSpanish honorific for unmarried women
mademoiselle · signorina · damsel · ingenues · belles · schoolgirls · charm school · miss · debutantes · coming out party · colleens · girlishness · females · giggling · fresh-faced · girl next door · coming-of-age · adolescents