wifely

adjective

wife·​ly ˈwī-flē How to pronounce wifely (audio)
: of, relating to, or befitting a wife
wifeliness noun

Examples of wifely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Behold all of his wifely love, and then behold him, loving her. Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 20 June 2019 An even more incendiary interview surfaced online in March, in which Patterson can be heard boasting about having counseled an abused woman, who showed up to church with two black eyes, to submit to domestic violence as her wifely duty. Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 21 June 2018 To play Midge, Brosnahan consulted a stack of vintage Good Housekeeping magazines, clipping articles about wifely deportment. Alexis Soloski, idahostatesman, 7 Jan. 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wifely was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wifely

Cite this Entry

“Wifely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wifely. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wifely

adjective
wife·​ly ˈwī-flē How to pronounce wifely (audio)
: of, relating to, or suitable for a wife

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