bachelor

1 of 2

noun

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 

ˈba-chə-

noun

bachelorhood

ˈbach-lər-ˌhu̇d 

ˈba-chə-

noun

bachelor

2 of 2

adjective

1

: suitable for or occupied by a single person

a bachelor apartment

2

: unmarried

bachelor women

bachelor parents

Examples of bachelor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And more than half of the school’s students graduating this year with a bachelor’s degree will be the first in their family to do so. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024

At Cal State Los Angeles, the time to recoup the net costs of earning a bachelor’s is also less than three months of a typical post-college annual salary. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 9 May 2024

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

• bachelor pad
• bachelor party
• bachelor's button
• bachelor's degree
• confirmed bachelor
• eligible bachelor

Kids Definition

bachelor

noun

bach·​e·​lor

ˈbach-(ə-)lər

1

: a person who has received the lowest degree given by a college, university, or professional school

bachelor of arts

also : the degree itself

2

a

: an unmarried man

b

: an unmated male animal

bachelorhood

-ˌhu̇d

noun