spinster
/ˈspɪnstə/noun
An older woman who has never married, especially one considered past the usual age for marriage.
Example sentences
- “In the novel, the heroine's neighbor is a kindly spinster who lives alone with her cats.”
- “Old census records sometimes list an unmarried woman as a spinster.”
Dated and now considered offensive. Use 'single woman' instead; the word survives mainly in historical or legal contexts.