as in wives
a married woman in charge of a household
She was career-minded and never intended to be a 1950s style housewife.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of housewives
And nor are any of the spooky figures, which range from 1950s housewives to toothless hags.
—
The Week, TheWeek, 7 May 2026
Fallen Angels' Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara are heaven-sent in this divine and delirious revival of Noël Coward’s sneakily groundbreaking 1925 play, about a pair of high-society housewives who hatch a plot to hook up with their former lover (Mark Consuelos).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026
Minkoff previously had a health scare involving her high blood pressure during a housewives' trip to Barcelona, Spain.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Wondering how the Ocean State's housewives celebrated Easter weekend?
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 6 Apr. 2026
At one point housewives were admonished not to shake their dust mops outdoors lest that contribute to smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
On Bravo, Vanderpump Rules doubled down on filming when Scandoval dropped, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for these Utah housewives.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Many of her stories are about slices of everyday life, mixed with memories and philosophical reflections about the self and identity—from young women to housewives to women of old age.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
One of its peak popularity periods was in 1937, when Jewish housewives standardized the game and created the National Mah Jongg League.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026
The Week, TheWeek, 7 May 2026
Fallen Angels' Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara are heaven-sent in this divine and delirious revival of Noël Coward’s sneakily groundbreaking 1925 play, about a pair of high-society housewives who hatch a plot to hook up with their former lover (Mark Consuelos).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026
Minkoff previously had a health scare involving her high blood pressure during a housewives' trip to Barcelona, Spain.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Wondering how the Ocean State's housewives celebrated Easter weekend?
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 6 Apr. 2026
At one point housewives were admonished not to shake their dust mops outdoors lest that contribute to smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
On Bravo, Vanderpump Rules doubled down on filming when Scandoval dropped, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for these Utah housewives.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Many of her stories are about slices of everyday life, mixed with memories and philosophical reflections about the self and identity—from young women to housewives to women of old age.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
One of its peak popularity periods was in 1937, when Jewish housewives standardized the game and created the National Mah Jongg League.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for housewives
Noun
-
Former Islamic States fighters from multiple countries, along with their wives and children, were held in a network of camps and detention centers in northeast Syria after the militant group lost control of its territory in Syria in 2019.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 May 2026
-
Harris uses Man’s three wives to allow an image to form very early, becoming highly unlikeable once viewers finally see him.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
The Bruins, fresh off their first women’s NCAA national championship (UCLA won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women title in 1978), announced the extension in a statement Tuesday.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
The report said Hamas and its collaborators primarily targeted women and hostages but that children also were subjected to violence and abuse.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Around him sat ten women—all of them homemakers and nurses—and one seven-year-old girl.—
Joshua Sharpe
August 6,
Literary Hub,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Housewives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/housewives. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
