housewife

noun

Definition of housewifenext
as in wife
a married woman in charge of a household She was career-minded and never intended to be a 1950s style housewife.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of housewife The Netflix series from Rebecca Cutter starring Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow, who lead a cutthroat yet soapy set of Texas housewives, has nabbed a season three renewal ahead of season two’s return. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 In the new Jesse Eisenberg film The Debut, Moore plays an unassuming housewife who becomes a passionate, though struggling method actor after being cast in a small role at her local community theater. — Michael Boodro, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026 But the housewife in these displays was still expected to remain responsible for the home. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 One of the year’s most unhinged premises comes from this trans body horror debut, as perfect housewife Martha begins to suffer the strain of performing impeccable femininity as a stealth trans woman. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for housewife
Recent Examples of Synonyms for housewife
  1. wife
  2. woman
Noun
  • Created by Rowan Joffé, the series follows Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a former homicide detective turned recluse following the death of his wife and daughter.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Office Lounge offers a variety of signature cocktails, from $15 to $17, like the after hours (reposado tequila, orange juice, lime juice and agave), the work wife (tequila mezcal, strawberry purée, lime juice and Tajín).
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of wife
Noun
  • The woman pleaded guilty this week in the death of the 6-week-old baby.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Supporting and investing in local sportsmen and women, clubs, leagues and venues is the key to ensuring the region develops lucrative sports ecosystems that create meaningful opportunities.
    — Martin K.N Siele, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of woman

Browse Nearby Words

housewarmings
housewife
housewives
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Housewife.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/housewife. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All