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 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
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
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
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
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
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
-
The sportsbook gave him tickets to the New York Rangers playoff series where he was seated next to the players’ wives.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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In addition to her Mom and sisters, Hyacinth grows up with her brother’s wives, too, surrounding her with strong female figures to look up to.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
World Cup skiers don’t roll out like bionic women.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
-
James’ 2020 debut feature, Relic — a slow-burn chiller about three generations of women tormented by a presence in the family home — worked because the director never allowed her control of the material to slacken, even when the narrative was stretched a bit thin.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 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 6 Feb. 2026.
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