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governess

[guhv-er-nis] / ˈgʌv ər nɪs /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When Elizabeth saw the manuscript, she wrote to a friend that “the governess has gone off her head.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

The new TV series, based on the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, centres on the Bennet family's middle sister, Mary, as she becomes a governess to the Gardiner family.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House as a governess with a secret, which would be enough for many a novel set in Victorian England.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2025

She worked as a governess in Paris and later converted to Catholicism and was baptized at the age of 26.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2023

“Cassiopeia has a private governess and is the ward of one of the richest men in England. She has no need of a school for poor bright females.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood




Vocabulary lists containing governess