mistress
gb/mˈɪstɹəs/ us/mˈɪstɹəs/
B2
English
~ 7700
szerető, úrnő, gazdasszony, domina, mester, tanítónő, tanárnő, asszony, kisasszony
NOUN
B2
1
szerető
B1
Usage pattern:
be [someone]'s mistress
The newspaper claimed that the politician had been supporting a secret mistress for years.
Az újság azt állította, hogy a politikus évek óta eltartott egy titkos szeretőt.
He left his wife and moved in with his longtime mistress.
Elhagyta a feleségét, és összeköltözött régi szeretőjével.
Everyone knew he had a mistress, but nobody spoke about it openly.
She refused to be anyone’s mistress and demanded a committed relationship.
The scandal broke when photos of the businessman and his mistress were published online.
Learner examples
The man left his wife for his mistress.
A férfi elhagyta a feleségét a szeretőjéért.
He has a wife, but he also has a mistress in another city.
Van felesége, de egy másik városban szeretőt is tart.
She does not want to be his mistress; she wants to be his wife.
The story is about a rich man and his young mistress.
The actor lost his job after the news about his mistress came out.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "mistress" with "girlfriend". A mistress is usually in a secret or socially disapproved relationship, often with a married man, while a girlfriend is a normal romantic partner. Also, "mistress" is almost always used for a woman in relation to a man, not for same-sex relationships.
Meaning
a man's extramarital female lover
Collocations
have a mistress
|keep a mistress
|his mistress
|secret mistress
|take a mistress
|former mistress
Synonyms
lover (General term for a romantic or sexual partner; does not necessarily suggest the man is married.)
|
affair (Usually refers to the romantic or sexual relationship itself, not the person; often shorter or more secret.)
|
kept woman (Emphasizes that the man gives the woman money or support; sounds old-fashioned or disapproving.)
Antonyms
wife (The woman legally married to a man, often contrasted with a secret or unofficial partner like a mistress.)
|
husband (Male equivalent in a marriage; contrasts with an unofficial sexual partner outside marriage.)
Themes
relationships
|family
|society
Definition
A woman who has a regular sexual relationship with a man who is married to another woman, or is not married to her.
A woman who has an ongoing sexual relationship with a man she is not married to, especially when he is married to someone else.
NOUN
B2
2
úrnő
B2
gazdasszony
B2
Usage pattern:
mistress of [something]
As mistress of the house, she supervised the staff and managed all the accounts.
A ház úrnőjeként felügyelte a személyzetet, és minden számlát ő intézett.
The dog ran straight to its mistress when she called.
A kutya egyenesen a gazdasszonyához szaladt, amikor az hívta.
For decades she was the undisputed mistress of the estate.
He introduced her proudly as the new mistress of the vineyard.
The novel follows the young woman’s rise from maid to mistress of the house.
Learner examples
She is the mistress of the house and tells the staff what to do.
Ő a ház úrnője, és ő mondja meg a személyzetnek, mit tegyenek.
The dog loves its mistress and follows her everywhere.
A kutya szereti a gazdasszonyát, és mindenhova követi.
After her parents died, she became the mistress of the family home.
The farm’s mistress wakes up early to check the animals.
In the story, the servant later becomes the mistress of the big house.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the "lover" meaning. In this sense, "mistress" usually appears in phrases like "mistress of the house" or "the dog’s mistress" and clearly refers to control or care, not a secret romantic relationship.
Meaning
woman who owns or controls something
Collocations
mistress of the house
|the dog's mistress
|the mistress of the estate
|rightful mistress
|farm's mistress
|household mistress
Synonyms
owner (General word for someone who legally possesses something; does not focus on gender or social role.)
|
lady of the house (Specifically the woman in charge of a home; sounds slightly formal or old-fashioned.)
|
female boss (Informal phrase stressing work power rather than social or domestic authority.)
Antonyms
servant (A person who works for and is under the authority of the mistress of a house.)
|
employee (Someone who works for the person in charge, not the person with authority or ownership.)
Themes
society
|work
|daily life
|business
Definition
A woman who is the main person in charge of a home, people, or animals.
A woman who has control, authority, or ownership over a place, a group of people, or an animal.
NOUN
C1
SLANG
3
Usage pattern:
call [someone] Mistress
He signed a contract agreeing to obey his Mistress during their sessions.
Aláírt egy szerződést, amelyben vállalta, hogy a szeánszaik alatt engedelmeskedik az Úrnőjének.
The club invited a famous Mistress to run an introduction to BDSM workshop.
A klub meghívott egy híres dominát, hogy BDSM-bevezető workshopot tartson.
In the story, the hero willingly becomes the Mistress’s devoted submissive.
She preferred to be called "Mistress" in the dungeon, not by her real name.
The ad said he was looking for a strict Mistress to train him.
Learner examples
In this context, "Mistress" means a dominant woman in BDSM.
Ebben a szövegkörnyezetben a „Mistress” a BDSM-ben domináns szerepű nőt jelent.
He calls her "Mistress" when they play their BDSM games.
Úrnőnek szólítja, amikor BDSM-játékot játszanak.
The Mistress tells the submissive what to do.
In the club, everyone must show respect to the Mistress.
She works as a professional Mistress and sees clients in a studio.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sexual, role-play sense with the more common "extramarital lover" meaning. When "Mistress" is capitalized and used as a title in sexual or BDSM contexts, it usually refers to a dominant woman, not a secret girlfriend.
Meaning
dominant woman in BDSM role-play
Collocations
Yes, Mistress
|obey his Mistress
|professional Mistress
|cruel Mistress
|serve a Mistress
|BDSM Mistress
Synonyms
dominatrix (More standard word for a professional or very clearly defined female dominant in BDSM; slightly more formal in writing.)
|
domme (Subcultural slang for a female dominant, used mainly inside BDSM communities.)
Antonyms
submissive (In BDSM, a person who accepts the control or power of the dominant partner, the opposite role from a Mistress.)
Themes
sexuality
|relationships
|subcultures
Definition
A woman who is the strong, controlling partner in special sexual games, and is often called "Mistress" by the other person.
A woman who takes the controlling, dominant role over another person in BDSM or other consensual sexual role-play, often addressed as a title.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
4
mester
B1
Usage pattern:
mistress of [a skill/activity]
She is a true mistress of the short story, able to move readers in just a few pages.
A novella igazi mestere: néhány oldal alatt is képes megindítani az olvasókat.
The director proved herself a mistress of suspense in her latest film.
A rendező a legújabb filmjében bebizonyította, hogy a feszültségkeltés mestere.
As a chef, she is a mistress of flavor and timing.
The speaker was a mistress of rhetoric, holding the audience’s attention from start to finish.
Critics describe her as a mistress of subtle character development.
Learner examples
She is a mistress of the piano and plays very well.
A zongora mestere, és nagyon jól játszik.
The writer is a mistress of the crime novel.
Az írónő a krimiregények mestere.
After many years of practice, she became a mistress of her craft.
The movie shows her as a mistress of political strategy.
My teacher is a real mistress of simple, clear explanations.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this meaning is always about control over people, like a boss. Here, "mistress of" usually refers to great skill in an activity or art, not to being someone’s manager or lover.
Meaning
woman extremely skilled at something
Collocations
mistress of her craft
|mistress of the genre
|mistress of detail
|mistress of disguise
|mistress of the short story
|mistress of rhetoric
Synonyms
expert (Neutral word for someone very skilled; does not show gender or have the stylistic weight of "mistress of".)
|
master (Very common term for a highly skilled person of any gender; slightly stronger and more frequent than "mistress" in modern use.)
Antonyms
novice (Someone new and inexperienced in a skill, opposite of a highly skilled mistress of it.)
|
amateur (Someone who does something mainly for pleasure or with low skill, contrasting with a highly skilled professional-like mistress.)
Themes
arts
|skills
|work
|education
Definition
A woman who is very, very good at a special skill, subject, or art.
A woman who has achieved a very high level of skill or control in a particular activity, subject, or art.
NOUN
C1
ARCHAIC
5
Usage pattern:
a [subject] mistress
The boys respected their strict new mistress.
A fiúk tisztelték szigorú új tanárnőjüket.
In the old boarding school, each class had its own mistress.
A régi bentlakásos iskolában minden osztálynak megvolt a maga tanárnője.
Her aunt had once worked as a French mistress at a girls’ college.
The games mistress organized all the school’s sports events.
He remembered his first mistress as a kind but demanding woman.
Learner examples
In this old story, the teacher is called a mistress.
Ebben a régi történetben a tanítónőt „mistress”-nek nevezik.
The boys were afraid of their new mistress at the school.
A fiúk féltek az új tanárnőjüktől az iskolában.
His mother worked as a maths mistress many years ago.
The games mistress plans the sports lessons.
Today we usually say "teacher", not "mistress".
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "mistress" always means a lover. In old school stories, however, "mistress" often just means a female teacher. Modern English normally uses "teacher" instead.
Meaning
female teacher, especially old-fashioned
Collocations
class mistress
|games mistress
|French mistress
|maths mistress
|new mistress
|form mistress
Synonyms
teacher (Modern, gender-neutral word for someone who teaches; more common and natural in today’s English.)
|
schoolmistress (More explicit and somewhat old-fashioned term for a female teacher; similar in meaning but now rare.)
Antonyms
pupil (A student or child being taught, opposite role to a teacher or mistress in school.)
|
student (General word for a learner, opposite of the teaching role.)
Themes
education
Definition
An old-fashioned word for a woman who works as a teacher in a school.
A female teacher, especially in a school for children, in older or traditional British usage.
NOUN
C2
ARCHAIC
6
asszony
A2
kisasszony
B1
Usage pattern:
Mistress [name]
"Good Mistress Ford," he began, bowing low, "may I have a word?"
– Kedves Ford asszony – kezdte mélyen meghajolva –, válthatnék önnel néhány szót?
The play opens with Mistress Quickly gossiping in the tavern.
A darab azzal kezdődik, hogy Quickly asszony a fogadóban pletykál.
In the novel, the servants always call her Mistress Allen rather than by her first name.
"Come hither, young Mistress," the old woman said kindly.
Mistress Page entered, followed by her two daughters.
Learner examples
In old books, a woman is sometimes called Mistress plus her name.
Régi könyvekben a nőket néha a „Mistress” címmel és a nevükkel együtt említik.
The servant speaks to her as "Mistress Anne" in the play.
A szolga a darabban „Anne asszony”-nak szólítja.
In Shakespeare, characters often use the title Mistress.
Today we do not use Mistress as a title in normal life.
You may see "Mistress" in old stories instead of "Mrs" or "Miss".
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this old title has the same meaning as the modern word "mistress" (lover). In older texts, "Mistress" before a name is just a polite form of address and does not mean a secret girlfriend.
Meaning
old title before a woman’s name
Collocations
Mistress Quickly
|Mistress Page
|good Mistress
|Mistress Anne
|Mistress Mary
|young Mistress
Synonyms
Mrs (Modern title for a married woman; used where older English might have used "Mistress".)
|
Miss (Modern title for an unmarried woman; also sometimes replaced older "Mistress" in address.)
Antonyms
Mr (Title used before a man’s name; contrasts with female titles like Mistress, Mrs, or Miss.)
Themes
forms of address
|history
|society
|communication
|relationships
Definition
An old way to say "Mrs" or "Miss" before a woman’s name in very old English texts.
An old polite title used before a woman’s name, roughly equivalent to "Mrs" or "Miss" in earlier English.
Grammar
Dictionary form
mistress
IPA
GB/mˈɪstɹəs/
US/mˈɪstɹəs/
Syllables & stress
mis - tress (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (mis)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: mistress
- Plural: mistresses
Word family
Forms
mistresses
noun
Related words
Advanced or less common
mastermind
noun
Expressions
keep a mistress
1/kˈip ə mˈɪstɹəs/
fixed phrase
have and support a regular mistress
For a man to pay money or give support to a woman he has a long-term sexual relationship with, when she is not his wife.
Examples
- For years he secretly kept a mistress in another city, paying her rent and living costs.
- The novel tells the story of a wealthy businessman who keeps a mistress while pretending to be a perfect husband.
- In the past, it was common for powerful men to keep a mistress, even if society disapproved.
mistress of ceremonies
1/mˈɪstɹəs əv sˈɛɹɪmˌoʊniz/
fixed phrase
female host of an event or ceremony
A woman who leads an event, introduces people on stage, and makes sure everything in the program happens at the right time.
Examples
- The actress served as mistress of ceremonies at the charity gala, introducing each performer with ease.
- They hired a professional mistress of ceremonies to host the awards show.
- As mistress of ceremonies, she welcomed the guests and explained how the evening would proceed.
mistress of the house
1/mˈɪstɹəs əv ðə hˈaʊs/
fixed phrase
female head in charge of a home
The woman who is the main person in charge of a home and how it is run.
Examples
- As mistress of the house, she decided how the rooms were used and who could stay there.
- The servants waited for instructions from the mistress of the house before serving dinner.
- He introduced his grandmother as the original mistress of the house, who had lived there for fifty years.