crone: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Literary, derogatory, archaic
Quick answer
What does “crone” mean?
An old, ugly, and often malicious woman.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
An old, ugly, and often malicious woman.
Primarily a derogatory term for an elderly woman, often with connotations of being withered, haggard, and sometimes witch-like or ill-tempered. Can appear in folklore or fantasy contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Equally archaic/derogatory in both varieties.
Connotations
Strongly negative connotations of ugliness, malevolence, and decrepitude in both varieties.
Frequency
Very low frequency in modern general use. Slightly more likely to be encountered in UK literature due to older folkloric traditions.
Grammar
How to Use “crone” in a Sentence
The [adjective] crone [verb]A crone of [description]Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, used only in literary criticism or historical/sociological discussions of ageism and misogyny.
Everyday
Avoid. Highly offensive.
Technical
Not applicable.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “crone”
- Using it as a neutral term for an old woman.
- Misspelling as 'crown'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Extremely rarely. Some modern pagan or feminist reclaiming movements have attempted to reframe 'crone' as a wise elder, but this is niche and not mainstream.
All are derogatory for old women. 'Crone' emphasizes age and ugliness, 'hag' adds ugliness and often meanness, 'witch' specifically implies magical (evil) power.
No, it is specifically and exclusively gendered female.
Only with caution, typically in quotation marks, when analyzing its use in literature or discourse. It should not be used as your own descriptive term for a historical figure.
An old, ugly, and often malicious woman.
Crone is usually literary, derogatory, archaic in register.
Crone: in British English it is pronounced /krəʊn/, and in American English it is pronounced /kroʊn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms. Sometimes appears in set phrases like 'a wizened old crone'.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a CROaking, aloNE old woman -> CRONE. The 'cr' sound suggests something harsh or cracked.
Conceptual Metaphor
OLD AGE IS DECAY/Ugliness.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'crone' be LEAST appropriate?