uxorial

adjective

ux·o·ri·al ˌək-ˈsȯr-ē-əl

ˌəg-ˈzȯr-

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a wife

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With help from "-ial," "-ious," and "-icide," the Latin word uxor, meaning "wife," has given us the English words "uxorial," "uxorious" (meaning "excessively fond of or submissive to a wife"), and "uxoricide" ("murder of a wife by her husband" or "a wife murderer"). Do we have equivalent "husband" words? Well, sort of. Maritus means "husband in Latin," so "marital" can mean "of or relating to a husband and his role in marriage" (although "maritus" also means "married," and the "of or relating to marriage or the married state" sense of "marital" is far more common). And while "mariticide" is "spouse killing," it can also be specifically "husband-killing."

Examples of uxorial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sordi, of course, had a boyish mug built to amuse, and it’s paired well with Massari’s coiled portrait of uxorial frustration. —

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uxorial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.