WordGarden.iohamlet
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /hˈæmlət/
US
- /ˈhæmlət/
Meanings
Noun
a small village or settlement
Proper-noun
Shakespeare's tragedy about the prince of Denmark
the prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's Hamlet
Beyond the definition
A hamlet is a very small settlement in the countryside, usually smaller than a village. It is often just a few homes or farm buildings gathered together, with a quiet, close local feel. When people use the word, they often picture a peaceful rural place with narrow lanes, open fields, and not many public buildings or services.
You might pass through a hamlet on a country road, see one marked on a map, or read about one in a story set far from city life. The word usually points to size and setting: a small place, a rural place, and a place where only a few people live.
A hamlet is a very small rural settlement, smaller than a village and often too small to have many services of its own. It may be made up of only a handful of houses, cottages, or farm buildings. In many cases, a hamlet does not have places such as a church, a school, or a shop, though the exact meaning can vary by country and local tradition.
The word usually brings to mind a quiet place in the countryside, where homes are spread close together and the surrounding land is made up of fields, woods, or hills. It suggests a small community and a slower rhythm of life. Someone might describe a place as a hamlet to stress how tiny, rural, or tucked away it is.
You may see the word in travel writing, local history, novels, or maps. For example, a guidebook might mention a hamlet hidden in a valley, or a story might begin in a lonely hamlet where everyone knows one another. In ordinary use, the word is about the place itself, not about Shakespeare's Hamlet, which is a separate use of the same spelling.
So when you hear "hamlet," think of a very small country settlement: smaller than a village, quiet in character, and home to only a few people.
Examples
- 1
Mountain village
They spent the night in a quiet hamlet in the mountains.
- 2
Coastal settlement
The road ends at a fishing hamlet on the coast.
- 3
Severe weather
Heavy snow cut off several hamlets from the nearest town.
See also
Similar
- small village
- village
- settlement
Shades of meaning
- rural community
- cluster of houses
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- a tiny hamlet
- a remote hamlet
- a rural hamlet
Explore
- settlement hierarchy
- unincorporated community
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- hamletnoun
Forms
- hamletspluralnoun