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
In the 1950s and ’60s, the tranquilizer Miltown was widely prescribed to housewives for anxiety and stress.
—
Sarah Levy,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
In recent years, housewives have been introduced as highly polished.
—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
12 May 2026
Nene Leakes is one of the housewives confirmed to appear during the Atlanta stop of the special event series.
—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
11 May 2026
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
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
Sarah Levy,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
In recent years, housewives have been introduced as highly polished.
—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
12 May 2026
Nene Leakes is one of the housewives confirmed to appear during the Atlanta stop of the special event series.
—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
11 May 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for housewives
Noun
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Elizabeth also followed the trend of army wives.
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Their wives, Danielle and Rosalind, were best friends, teammates and roommates at the University of North Carolina.
Noun
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On board the deportation flight were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First, which tracks deportation flights, The Associated Press reported.
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But more than ever before, Nouel said, women are shirking the expectations of previous generations and considering all of their options to happiness, instead of staying in relationships that don't serve them.
Noun
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In April, Hulu began airing the series The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale that depicts teen girls trained to be docile homemakers.
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Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, for example, spoke at Benedictine College’s commencement in 2024 and encouraged female graduates to become homemakers.
Cite this Entry
“Housewives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/housewives. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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