housewife

noun

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

Examples of housewife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fan noted the complete cast overhaul The Real Housewives of New York City had for Season 14, firing all the cast and hiring a whole new set of housewives. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 16 July 2024

The Big Apple has a new housewife: Art curator and model Racquel Chevremont has joined the cast of Bravo‘s The Real Housewives of New York City for Season 15, it was announced on Thursday. —Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 27 June 2024

In the scene, Kathy and Johnny verbally spar over Benny’s love and loyalty, until Johnny thinks he’s got the better of the housewife. —Angelique Jackson, Variety, 24 June 2024

At the time, the characters in films reflected that same notion: good girls, loyal housewives, supportive girlfriends, or sluts. —Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 19 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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