housewife

noun

house·​wife ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf 

 especially in sense 2 and in early poetry  ˈhə-zəf,

or

-səf 

plural housewives ˈhau̇s-ˌwīvz 

 also  ˈhau̇z-ˌwīvz;

ˈhə-zəfs,

-zəvz,

-səfs,

-səvz

1

: a married woman in charge of a household

2

: a pocket-size container for small articles (such as thread)

housewifeliness

ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf-lē-nəs 

noun

housewifely

ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf-lē 

adjective

housewifery

ˈhau̇s-ˌwī-f(ə-)rē 

 British  -(ˌ)wi-f(ə-)rē

 also  ˈhə-zə-frē

noun

housewifey

ˈhau̇s-ˌwī-fē 

adjective

Examples of housewife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But for conservative Christian women who understood traditional gender roles to be God-given, and who cherished their roles as housewives, the feminist movement seemed like an existential threat. —Emily Suzanne Johnson / Made By History, TIME, 3 June 2024

Roseanne Barr made her film debut in this dark comedy from director Susan Seidelman, playing frumpy housewife Ruth. —EW.com, 31 May 2024

My paternal grandmother, Odette, was an elegant and proud Lebanese woman, housewife, and mother of four. —Edy Massih, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2024

With families permanently separated and traditional large Chinese households broken apart, housework and food preparation fell largely on housewives. —Thessaly La Force, New York Times, 12 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

housewife

noun

house·​wife ˈhau̇-ˌswīf 

sense 2 is often

ˈhəz-əf 

ˈhəs-əf

1

: a married woman who manages her own home

2

: a small container for small articles (as thread)

housewifeliness

ˈhau̇-ˌswī-flē-nəs 

noun

housewifely

-flē 

adjective

housewifery

ˈhau̇-ˌswī-fə-rē 

-frē

noun