courtesan

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.

In his 18th opera, Giuseppe Verdi provocatively made the lead role a courtesan in contemporary Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

And Demy’s “Lola” was inspired not just by the character made immortal by Marlene Dietrich in “The Blue Angel” but also by the courtesan chronicled in Ophuls’s last completed picture, “ Lola Montès.”

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024

In the late 2000s, the courtesan culture had completely vanished and Rekhabai left the kotha to live in her apartment in Kolkata.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2023

The film, by French actor and director Maïwenn Le Besco, known as Maïwenn, chronicles the life of French courtesan Madame du Barry, who climbed the social ladder at Versailles to become the king's favourite.

From Reuters • May 17, 2023

“Destined to be inseparable friends, in fact. A courtesan, a pilgrim, a princess, and a bullfighter. Hill House has surely never seen our like.”

From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson