1. women of questionable social standing or respectability, especially those on the fringes of respectable society
Usage: archaic; plural form

Examples

• The novel depicted the lives of demimondaines in 19th-century Paris.
• Victorian society strictly separated respectable ladies from demimondaines.
• The opera featured characters from both high society and the demimondaines.
• Historical accounts describe how demimondaines influenced fashion and culture.
• The artist’s salon attracted writers, politicians, and demimondaines alike.