as in wives
a married woman in charge of a household
She was career-minded and never intended to be a 1950s style housewife.
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Recent Examples of housewives
The series was set to begin filming in the spring and follow Zarin and fellow housewives Kelly Bensimon, Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan in South Florida, according to Deadline.
—
Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Almutairi said the potential market goes far beyond traditional bank customers, from housewives with informal income, to university students, freelancers, and employees at small businesses who lack access to credit.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the 14-minute Super Afghan Gym is set in a gym in downtown Kabul, which features posters of muscular men on the walls, where a group of housewives come together during the one hour of the day reserved for women.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
In a gym in downtown Kabul, a group of housewives gather during the only hour of the day reserved for women.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Development • Dirty Hands (Lebanon/Qatar) by Georges Hazim and Maya Dagher, a dark comedy, about four desperate housewives who jump at the chance to make some quick cash.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
The upcoming season will welcome seven housewives who have helped define respective franchises, including Porsha Williams of RHOA, and Gizelle Bryant of RHOP.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 15 Jan. 2026
The only way that such a minor joke would set a fiancée off is if her engagement was already in a delicate place, and that is none of the housewives’ jobs to fix.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Emily mumbled a weak excuse when the real answer is simply that all of the housewives stir up trouble for each other by gossiping and sniping behind each other’s backs.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Almutairi said the potential market goes far beyond traditional bank customers, from housewives with informal income, to university students, freelancers, and employees at small businesses who lack access to credit.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the 14-minute Super Afghan Gym is set in a gym in downtown Kabul, which features posters of muscular men on the walls, where a group of housewives come together during the one hour of the day reserved for women.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
In a gym in downtown Kabul, a group of housewives gather during the only hour of the day reserved for women.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Development • Dirty Hands (Lebanon/Qatar) by Georges Hazim and Maya Dagher, a dark comedy, about four desperate housewives who jump at the chance to make some quick cash.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
The upcoming season will welcome seven housewives who have helped define respective franchises, including Porsha Williams of RHOA, and Gizelle Bryant of RHOP.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 15 Jan. 2026
The only way that such a minor joke would set a fiancée off is if her engagement was already in a delicate place, and that is none of the housewives’ jobs to fix.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Emily mumbled a weak excuse when the real answer is simply that all of the housewives stir up trouble for each other by gossiping and sniping behind each other’s backs.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for housewives
Noun
-
Many are wives or widows of IS fighters and their children.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
John and Paul got an ego boost over their wives’ independent preexisting artistic careers — something these men did not have in common with any other male rock stars of their generation, to say the damn least.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Three women made complaints, beginning in October 2024.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The men’s team was recognized with a direct phone call, while the women were brought up afterward in a lighter aside.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
24 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2026.
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