courtesan
noun
cour·te·san
ˈkȯr-tə-zən 
-ˌzan,
also ˈkər-,
-ˌzän;
especially British ˌkȯ-tə-ˈzan
: a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele
Synonyms
Examples of courtesan in a Sentence
the protagonist of the novel is a composite of several real-life courtesans who plied their trade among the decadent aristocracy
Recent Examples on the Web
By Shannon Carlin August 1, 2024 8:16 AM EDT
The title of high-school teacher turned award-winning author Jeannie Lin’s 2013 historical romance, The Lotus Palace, refers to the home of the courtesans in Tang Dynasty China.
—
Shannon Carlin, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
Each afternoon, thousands of spectators took in the flashy get-ups of the royals, bankers, playwrights, famous courtesans and visiting VIPs.
—Melissa Rossi, Washington Post, 27 July 2024
Around them, the other courtesans—Mallikajaan’s daughters, siblings, and friends—grapple with their own hopes and desires for self-realization and freedom.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 2 May 2024
Costner does not even appear until 66 minutes into the movie as Hayes Ellison., a mysterious gunslinger who crosses paths with a local courtesan, Marigold (Abbey Lee).
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for courtesan 
Shannon Carlin, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
Each afternoon, thousands of spectators took in the flashy get-ups of the royals, bankers, playwrights, famous courtesans and visiting VIPs.
—Melissa Rossi, Washington Post, 27 July 2024
Around them, the other courtesans—Mallikajaan’s daughters, siblings, and friends—grapple with their own hopes and desires for self-realization and freedom.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 2 May 2024
Costner does not even appear until 66 minutes into the movie as Hayes Ellison., a mysterious gunslinger who crosses paths with a local courtesan, Marigold (Abbey Lee).
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for courtesan
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'courtesan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Courtesan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesan. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
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