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

Lucy, over-the-top housewife Lucy and Ricky, her excitable husband, were always getting into some sort of entertaining hijinks. —Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 26 Sep. 2024

The subject, a Florentine housewife called Lisa who married at 15 and became a mother of six, was from the noble farmland-owning Gherardini family, but far from ostentatiously wealthy and certainly not famous. —Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024

Jacqueline Blake is back as a friend of the housewives, and Jassi Rideaux will also join as a friend of, both bringing their own mix of sass and surprises. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 12 Sep. 2024

Munni Ghosh, a Hindu housewife in Dhaka, said that attacks have grown since Hasina fled. —Krutika Pathi, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 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