adventuress

[ ad-ven-cher-is ]

noun

1. a woman who schemes to win social position, wealth, etc., by unscrupulous or questionable means.
2. a woman who is an adventurer.

adventuress

/ ədˈvɛntʃərɪs /

noun

1. a woman who seeks adventure, esp one who seeks success or money through daring exploits
2. a woman who seeks money or power by unscrupulous means
3. a speculator

Gender Note

What's the difference between adventuress and adventurer? See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of adventuress¹

First recorded in 1745–55; adventur(er) + -ess

Example Sentences

In their ninth crime-solving tale, the Victorian-era adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell and her partner discover that a wax mannequin is actually a dead young woman, expertly preserved.

From New York Times

"From the outset, Camilla was suspicious about the adventuress from Los Angeles," he claimed to the outlet.

From Fox News

Eve Babitz was in her teens when she declared to her mother, “I think I’m going to be an adventuress.”

From Washington Post

But, paradoxically, the seasoned adventuress feared becoming lost in the metropolis and got her bearings by imagining skyscrapers as summits along a trail.

From New York Times

For Nick’s mother, it’s a fortress built to repel alien invaders like Rachel, who, in Eleanor’s eyes, is a Chinese-American adventuress and insufficiently Chinese.

From Wall Street Journal