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 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 mother of all housewives and the former star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is making her return to Bravo with the spinoff celebrating 20 years of The Real Housewives franchise.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 14 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
The crux of the cast was assembled around Marks’ friend group in New York City — not the idea of a show with the offspring of housewives.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The new series assembles 10 housewives from across the continent for what producers are calling a celebration of Pan-African sisterhood and glamor.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Saint John wasn't the first to speak about this condition, as housewives from New York, Potomac and Atlanta also have shared their journeys through the years.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Shelby Stewart, Essence, 15 Jan. 2026
The mother of all housewives and the former star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is making her return to Bravo with the spinoff celebrating 20 years of The Real Housewives franchise.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 14 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
The crux of the cast was assembled around Marks’ friend group in New York City — not the idea of a show with the offspring of housewives.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The new series assembles 10 housewives from across the continent for what producers are calling a celebration of Pan-African sisterhood and glamor.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Saint John wasn't the first to speak about this condition, as housewives from New York, Potomac and Atlanta also have shared their journeys through the years.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for housewives
Noun
-
On this one, three players – Jones, Manny Ramirez and Omar Vizquel – had all been charged at one time with assaulting their wives.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The 14-year-old and her mother moved from California to North Las Vegas to live with Chasing Horse and his multiple wives.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The jury and alternates included 11 women and five men, though one of the male jurors was excused last week due to a family emergency.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
What does reinvention mean, and why do women reinvent themselves for survival?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 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 Jan. 2026.
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