0 a woman who is not married, especially a woman who is no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry --
1 a woman who is not married, esp. a woman who is no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry --
It is the older spinster or widow who bears the brunt of poverty in old age.
Of females aged 30 or more 8-6% were spinsters.
Female servants were usually middle-aged widows or spinsters.
His spinster sister-in-law and her unmarried brother cared for his infant son.
Comparisons of mean ages at marriage for particular marriage rank combinations, bachelor\spinster, bachelor\widow, widower\spinster, and widower\widow, are also possible.
In the book only completed families formed by the marriage of bachelors and spinsters are analysed.
For spinsters this has been declining since 1920 and the declines of the last two decades have been quite rapid.
For example in 1985, 13% of spinsters married a divorced man as compared with 6% in 1971 and 4% in 1961.
