1. intellectual or literary women, especially those who prioritize learning over traditional feminine pursuits
Usage: historical; sometimes derogatory

Examples

• The 18th-century bluestockings gathered regularly to discuss literature and philosophy.
• She was dismissed as one of those bluestockings who cared more about books than marriage.
• The bluestockings of the salon challenged conventional ideas about women’s education.
• Critics often mocked the bluestockings for their serious intellectual pursuits.
• Many bluestockings became influential writers and social reformers.
• The term bluestockings originally referred to members of literary societies in London.