ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bachelor

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbætʃəɫɝ// UK //bˈætʃəlɐ// bach·e·lor Archaic

n. a man who is not married. You use this to describe someone who lives alone or has never had a wife.

n. a man who is not married, especially one who has never been married. Often used in social contexts to describe a man's marital status.


SIMPLE

He is a happy bachelor who enjoys living alone.

CONTEXTUAL

After years of living as a bachelor, he finally decided to settle down and buy a house with his partner.

COMPLEX

The novel explores the life of a confirmed bachelor whose rigid daily routines are suddenly disrupted by the arrival of a distant relative.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English bacheler, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bacheler (modern French bachelier), from Medieval Latin baccalārius, baccalāris (compare Tuscan baccalare (“squire”)).

Usage

Commonly paired with the adjective 'confirmed' to describe a man who intends to stay unmarried.

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