bachelor
1 of 2noun
bach·e·lor ˈbach-lər 
ˈba-chə-
1
: a young knight who follows the banner of another
2
: a person who has received a degree from a college, university, or professional school usually after four years of study
bachelor of arts
also : the degree itself
received a bachelor of laws
3
a
: an unmarried man
He chooses to remain a bachelor.
b
: a male animal (such as a fur seal) without a mate during breeding time
bachelordom
ˈbach-lər-dəm
noun ˈba-chə-
bachelorhood
ˈbach-lər-ˌhu̇d
noun ˈba-chə-
bachelor
2 of 2adjective
1
: suitable for or occupied by a single person
a bachelor apartment
2
: unmarried
bachelor women
bachelor parents
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Rebecca Mccarthy, ajc, 6 Sep. 2022 Bowman was the son of a Springfield, Ohio, lawyer and had attended private schools there before going off to earn a bachelor’s degree at Princeton. Paula Allen, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Sep. 2022 College of DuPage’s 22 associate degree programs currently feed into more than 14 bachelor’s degrees. Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022 Those without bachelor’s degrees were much less likely to trust their managers (76%), colleagues (70%), or senior executives (65%). Christine Comaford, Forbes, 3 July 2022 Towson and Salisbury proposed new bachelor degrees in health science. Caitlyn Freeman, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2022 After all, the percentage of Americans over 25 who have earned bachelor’s degrees has more than doubled since 1970. New York Times, 22 June 2022 The Vera Institute found that at least 754 Pell recipients had earned bachelor’s degrees inside prisons from 2016 to 2021, and more than 8,000 others earned certificates or associate’s degrees. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 18 May 2022 After earning two bachelor’s degrees, one of which was from the University of Pennsylvania, Elon enrolled himself into Stanford’s Ph.D. program to study energy physics at the age of 24. Mahnoor Khan, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2022 Brendan Morrow, The Week, 13 June 2022 So, to give himself a chance at medical school, Tatum enrolled in a post-bachelor’s pre-medicine program at Rutgers University-Newark. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2022 The bachelor elephant group at Noah's Ark plays a key supporting role serving wider African Elephant conservation efforts as an important part of the European Endangered Species Programme. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 24 June 2021 Pumpkin, who lost her elderly partner, convinced Harris to forego his bachelor ways in the name of love. Mallory Hughes, CNN, 7 Dec. 2020 See More
Noun
After finishing high school in Indianapolis, Art earned a bachelor’s degree in art history and an MFA in painting from Columbia University in New York. Rebecca Mccarthy, ajc, 6 Sep. 2022 Bowman was the son of a Springfield, Ohio, lawyer and had attended private schools there before going off to earn a bachelor’s degree at Princeton. Paula Allen, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Sep. 2022 College of DuPage’s 22 associate degree programs currently feed into more than 14 bachelor’s degrees. Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022 Those without bachelor’s degrees were much less likely to trust their managers (76%), colleagues (70%), or senior executives (65%). Christine Comaford, Forbes, 3 July 2022 Towson and Salisbury proposed new bachelor degrees in health science. Caitlyn Freeman, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2022 After all, the percentage of Americans over 25 who have earned bachelor’s degrees has more than doubled since 1970. New York Times, 22 June 2022 The Vera Institute found that at least 754 Pell recipients had earned bachelor’s degrees inside prisons from 2016 to 2021, and more than 8,000 others earned certificates or associate’s degrees. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 18 May 2022 After earning two bachelor’s degrees, one of which was from the University of Pennsylvania, Elon enrolled himself into Stanford’s Ph.D. program to study energy physics at the age of 24. Mahnoor Khan, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2022 Adjective
Looks like someone's ready to enter the post-bachelor period of his life. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 13 June 2022 So, to give himself a chance at medical school, Tatum enrolled in a post-bachelor’s pre-medicine program at Rutgers University-Newark. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2022 The bachelor elephant group at Noah's Ark plays a key supporting role serving wider African Elephant conservation efforts as an important part of the European Endangered Species Programme. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 24 June 2021 Pumpkin, who lost her elderly partner, convinced Harris to forego his bachelor ways in the name of love. Mallory Hughes, CNN, 7 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English bacheler "knight lacking retainers, squire, young man (especially an unmarried one), person holding the lowest university degree," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Medieval Latin *baccalāris, variant of baccalārius, bachelārius "serf without land living in the lord's household, vassal lacking a fief, knight without retainers, young clerk, student," of obscure origin
Adjective
attributive use of bachelor entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing bachelor
Kids Definition
bachelor
noun
bach·e·lor ˈba-chə-lər
ˈbach-lər
: a man who is not married
bachelor
noun
as in bachelorette
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bachelorette
- spinster
- maiden
- maid
- ex
- single
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- spouse
- partner
- mate
- consort
- better half
- soul mate
- significant other
- domestic partner