housewife

1 of 2

noun (1)

house·​wife ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf 

especially in sense 2 and in early poetry

ˈhə-zəf 

or -səf

plural housewives ˈhau̇s-ˌwīvz 

also

ˈhau̇z-ˌwīvz 

ˈhə-zəfs, 

-zəvz, 

-səfs, 

-səvz

1

: a married woman in charge of a household

2

: a pocket-size container for small articles (such as thread)

housewifeliness

ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf-lē-nəs 

noun

housewifely

ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf-lē 

adjective

housewifery

ˈhau̇s-ˌwī-f(ə-)rē 

British -(ˌ)wi-f(ə-)rē

also ˈhə-zə-frē

noun

housewifey

ˈhau̇s-ˌwī-fē 

adjective

housewifeliness

2 of 2

noun (2)

house·​wife·​li·​ness -īflēnə̇s -lin- 

plural -es

: the quality or state of being housewifely

Examples of housewife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Julianne Moore playing a housewife struggling to break out of her malaise? — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 June 2026

No longer the career woman, mother, housewife and lover doing it all, meeting every demand, and then some, just with my left hand. — Literary Hub, 19 June 2026

Karina Dixit, a housewife of fifty-six, wept before Durga perched on her marble tiger. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Cathy, a housewife, had contemplated becoming a teacher, Griffin told me. — Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1561, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for housewife

• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• jackknife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife
• wildlife
• knife

Kids Definition

housewife

noun

house·​wife ˈhau̇-ˌswīf 

sense 2 is often

ˈhəz-əf 

ˈhəs-əf

1

: a married woman who manages her own home

2

: a small container for small articles (as thread)

housewifeliness

ˈhau̇-ˌswī-flē-nəs 

noun

housewifely

-flē 

adjective

housewifery

ˈhau̇-ˌswī-fə-rē 

-frē

noun