handmaiden
noun
hand·maid·en
ˈhan(d)-ˌmā-dᵊn 
variants
or less commonly handmaid
1
: a personal maid or female servant
2
: something whose essential function is to serve or assist
criticism is not the enemy of art but rather its handmaiden—
Gary Michael
Gary MichaelExamples of handmaiden in a Sentence
the princess was intensely shy, and allowed only her handmaiden to enter her chambers
Recent Examples on the Web
That is Esther and her handmaiden in his painting, sure as life.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
That’s for the courts to say, not Trump’s handmaidens in cruelty.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
There’s a New Spirituality in Pop Music June 7, 1987
As religion and crypto-religion were locked in mortal combat, the AIDS plague was sweeping across gay communities like a firestorm, to the complete indifference of the federal government and their Christian handmaidens.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
And what the project means by the term—turning the Department of Energy into a handmaiden of the coal, oil and natural gas industry—betrays not only the taxpayer but science itself.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handmaiden
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Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
That’s for the courts to say, not Trump’s handmaidens in cruelty.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
There’s a New Spirituality in Pop Music June 7, 1987
As religion and crypto-religion were locked in mortal combat, the AIDS plague was sweeping across gay communities like a firestorm, to the complete indifference of the federal government and their Christian handmaidens.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
And what the project means by the term—turning the Department of Energy into a handmaiden of the coal, oil and natural gas industry—betrays not only the taxpayer but science itself.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handmaiden
Cite this Entry
“Handmaiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handmaiden. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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