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jilt

verb
\ ˈjilt How to pronounce jilt (audio) \
jilted; jilting; jilts

Definition of jilt

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cast off or reject (someone, such as a lover) capriciously or unfeelingly a jilted lover

jilt

noun

Definition of jilt (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who casts off or rejects someone previously accepted as a lover : one who jilts (see jilt entry 1) a lover
Other Words from jilt Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about jilt

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Other Words from jilt

Verb

jilter noun

Did You Know?

Verb

Jilt traces back to the English dialect noun jillet ("a flirtatious girl"), itself from Jill or Gill (used both as a proper name and as a noun meaning "girl") plus the diminutive suffix -et. Jilt itself came into use in the second half of the 17th century as a noun meaning "an unchaste woman" (a sense that is now obsolete) or "a woman who capriciously casts a lover aside," and also as a verb used for the actions of such a woman. These days, the person doing the jilting can be either male or female, and though jilt usually implies the sudden ending of a romantic relationship, it can also be used beyond the context of a romantic relationship with the broader meaning "to sever close relations with."

Examples of jilt in a Sentence

Verb

 She was crushed when he jilted her. still trying to get over being jilted by his longtime girlfriend

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 Mahut was further jilted when Wimbledon denied him a singles wild card. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "50 Parting Thoughts From Wimbledon 2019," 14 July 2019 Yet West’s Clippers have forced the Lakers to resort to backup plans, executing a flurry of moves Saturday after they were jilted by Leonard and missed out on dozens of desirable free agents who reached agreements elsewhere. — Ben Golliver, The Denver Post, "After Kawhi Leonard miss, Lakers ink DeMarcus Cousins and scramble to fill out rotation," 7 July 2019 This time, Tam mailed signed posters to the fans left jilted by the concert bait-and-switch. — Nathan Rizzo | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "‘Slanted’ tells the story of Portland Asian American band’s fight to keep its name," 9 June 2019 Life was rosy until Oct. 23, 1909, when Hassler learned she had been jilted. — Dawn Mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "When Carl Fisher got married — his jilted lover got even," 11 May 2018 Johnson, already jilted by George, didn’t have either in hand. — Lee Jenkins, SI.com, "Inside Decision 3.0: LeBron James Follows in the Footsteps of Legends," 1 July 2018 But here’s the thing to remember: this won’t be the same Recording Academy that has jilted JAY and Bey in recent years. — Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, "Why Beyonce & JAY-Z's 'Everything Is Love' Album Is Already a No-Brainer Grammys Contender," 20 June 2018 Then came the 2004 season, which was marked by two controversies that left Cal and Auburn feeling jilted and put the polls that determined their fate in a burdensome position. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Inside the AP's Fateful 2004 Decision to Withdraw Its Poll From the BCS Formula," 12 July 2018 The knee-jerk reaction to infidelity, most of the time, is to tell the person who got jilted to GTFO. — refinery29.com, "What To Think About Before Choosing To Stay With A Cheating Partner," 9 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 What felt like a jilt to the losers showed just how much of a hold Amazon exerted on a swath of American cities. — Shayndi Raice, WSJ, "How Amazon Picked HQ2 and Jilted 236 Cities," 14 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jilt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of jilt

Verb

1673, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1674, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for jilt

Noun and Verb

alteration of jillet flirtatious girl

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More Definitions for jilt

jilt

verb
How to pronounce jilt (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of jilt

: to end a romantic relationship with (someone) in a sudden and painful way

See the full definition for jilt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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