boudoir
/'bu:dwɑ:/
Definition
- Noun:
- A lady's private bedroom or sitting room: A "boudoir" is a private room for a woman, traditionally used for sleeping, dressing, or receiving intimate friends. It is associated with elegance, privacy, and femininity.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- She retired to her boudoir to write letters.
- The Victorian mansion featured an ornate boudoir with a vanity and a chaise lounge.
Advanced Usage
- Historical/Literary Context: The term often evokes a specific historical or literary setting, such as in 18th or 19th-century European upper-class homes.
- In the novel, the countess received her confidante in her lavishly decorated boudoir.
Variants and Related Words
- Dressing room: A room used for dressing, which may overlap in function with a boudoir but lacks the specific connotation of a private sitting area.
- Bedchamber / Bedroom: A more general term for a room used for sleeping.
- Private sitting room / Parlor: A room for receiving guests, but not specifically gendered or as intimate as a boudoir.
Synonyms
- Private chamber: A formal term for a private room.
- Retiring room: An older term for a private room to withdraw to.
Related Phrases
(This word is not commonly used in phrasal verbs or idioms.)
Noun
-
a lady's bedroom or private sitting room
