1
be a spinster
She was a spinster all her life.
她一辈子都是个老姑娘。
老姑娘；年长未婚女子
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
老姑娘；年长未婚女子
an elderly unmarried woman
She was a spinster all her life.
她一辈子都是个老姑娘。
操纵政治媒体报道以使其显得有利或占优势的人；即“政治公关专家”(spin doctor)等。
One who spins (puts a spin on) a political media story so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance; a spin doctor, spin merchant or spinmeister.
年长未婚女子
an elderly unmarried woman
纺纱者(将纤维捻成线的人)
someone who spins (who twists fibers into threads)
The census records listed her as a spinster, though she managed the family farm alone.
人口普查记录把她列为未婚女子，尽管她独自经营着家庭农场。
Many people in the novel pity the spinster, but she actually enjoys her independent life.
小说里很多人可怜那位年长未婚女子，但她其实很享受自己独立的生活。
A few spinsters in town started a small book club together.
镇上几位年长未婚女子一起办了一个小读书会。
She was a spinster all her life.
她一辈子都是个老姑娘。
Despite many marriage proposals, she remained a spinster.
尽管求婚者众多，她仍然独身。
She died a spinster, and her nephew inherited the estate.
她终生未婚，死后由侄儿继承了遗产。
Not this
She has never married and is still spinster.
Use this
She has never married and is still a spinster.
spinster 是可数名词，单数形式不能裸用；句子主语 she 后接表语时需要有冠词，因此要写 a spinster。
Not this
My 25-year-old sister is a spinster.
Use this
My 25-year-old sister is single.
spinster 强调的是“年纪较大、从未结婚”的女性，且常带过时、贬义的色彩；形容年轻女士“单身”要用 single，不宜用 spinster。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
老姑娘；年长的未婚女子
The old spinster lived alone with her cats.
那个老姑娘和她的猫独自生活。
未婚的姑妈（或姨妈）
My spinster aunt took care of me when I was young.
我小时候，未婚的姑妈照顾我。
铁定不婚的老姑娘
In those days, a thirty-year-old woman was already a confirmed spinster.
那时候，三十岁的女人已经是铁定不婚的老姑娘了。
终身未嫁；至死仍是未婚女子
She worked all her life and died a spinster.
她工作了一辈子，终身未嫁。
Use spinster naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
把 spinster 看成 spin（纺纱）+ -ster（人），联想到纺纱女工形象，从而记住“未婚老姑娘”；又因 spin 有“操控舆论”的意思，所以也指“政治公关”。
语域：mixed 常见场景：legal or historical writing、everyday conversation spinster（指年长未婚女性）多用于正式或历史语境，日常口语中显得过时且常带贬义。法律或行政文本中比较常见，如今通常改用 single woman 或 unmarried woman。
Only 'minster' (/ˈmɪnstər/) rhymes with 'spinster' (/ˈspɪnstər/): both have the stressed vowel /ɪ/ followed by /nstər/. The other listed words share the written ending -ster but not the rhyme: 'gangster', 'youngster', 'hipster', and 'prankster' have different stressed vowels and are stressed on the first syllable, so they only share the unstressed suffix /stər/. 'Sinister' looks similar in spelling but has an extra syllable and is pronounced /ˈsɪnɪstər/, so it does not rhyme. Also beware 'minister' /ˈmɪnɪstər/, which is not a rhyme.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.