English Reference

Word

baroness

US/ˈbɛɹənɪs/

UK/bˈæɹəʊnəs/

Definition

n. a woman who has the noble rank of a baron, or the wife of a baron.

n. a woman holding the lowest rank of the British peerage or a similar rank in other countries; it may be held in her own right or by marriage.

Examples

“The baroness attended the royal wedding.”

“The local baroness opened the new community centre to the public.”

“As the only female baroness in the committee, she brought a unique perspective to the debate on land reform.”

Examples

simple

“The baroness attended the royal wedding.”

contextual

“The local baroness opened the new community centre to the public.”

complex

“As the only female baroness in the committee, she brought a unique perspective to the debate on land reform.”

Usage

In the UK, a life peeress is addressed as 'Baroness' followed by her surname.

Real-World Examples

“Earlier this year, the Covid inquiry's chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, recommended increasing the payout and basing it on the degree of injury suffered.”
BBC News · 11 Sept 2026
“In February 2025, the inquiry spent a day taking evidence about PPE Medpro, the firm linked to the businessman Doug Barrowman and his wife Baroness Michelle Mone.”
BBC News · 14 Jul 2026

Etymology

From Middle English baronesse; equivalent to baron + -ess.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

noblewomanpeeress

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Frequent
Updated
Register
Formal

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/baroness

English Reference