first ladyship

noun

The state or condition of being a first lady.

Meanings

nounfirst ladyship (countable and uncountable, plural first ladyships)

plural first ladyships · alternative first-ladyship

  1. countableuncountableThe state or condition of being a first lady.

    For almost a century, the Vogue treatment has been a perk of the first ladyship.

    2021 June 29, Katie Rogers, “Jill Biden will be on the cover of Vogue.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2021
    3 more examples

    While first ladyship will bring new opportunities, she does not propose to relinquish one particular Peabody tradition: tea for Toni in bed, proffered gallantly each morning by her husband, who then cooks breakfast for the children.

    1963 January 11, “Nation: Back at the Mansion …”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Jun 2024

    "A lot of good things and bad things have been said about Raisa and Nancy Reagan, but I can say that both these women bore their 'first ladyships,' so to say, with a lot of dignity," he [Mikhail Gorbachev] said after his meeting on Thursday with Mrs. Reagan at Blair House.

    2004 June 11, Thom Shanker, “THE 40TH PRESIDENT: FOREIGN POLICY; Gorbachev Honors His Enemy And Friend”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Feb 2010

    If today’s first ladyship is a communications role, then it’s no surprise that Melania Trump’s inconsistent messaging is throwing the American public off.

    2018 June 5, Lena Felton, Taylor Hosking, “The Invisible Melania Trump”, in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Jun 2018

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

first ladyship. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20ladyship

MLA

“first ladyship.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20ladyship. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “first ladyship,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20ladyship.

Source: first ladyship on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.