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

Barbara Stanwyck stars yet again, now assuming the role of a columnist who chronicles her fictitious life as a housewife at a bucolic Connecticut farm. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2024

The film follows Laly, a Kerala housewife whose migrant worker husband in the Gulf region suddenly stops calling home after years of separation. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024

The siloed role of wife-mother and the persistent belief that women should not aspire for lives beyond the home led to a sense of malaise and disillusionment among housewives. —Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 13 Nov. 2024

What Allegedly Happened To Linda Napolitano? Linda Napolitano, a NYC housewife and stay-at-home mom, said that on the night of Nov. 30, 1989, three extraterrestrial beings kidnapped her outside her 12th-floor downtown apartment. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 4 Nov. 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