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
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
At one point housewives were admonished not to shake their dust mops outdoors lest that contribute to smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 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
Many of her stories are about slices of everyday life, mixed with memories and philosophical reflections about the self and identity—from young women to housewives to women of old age.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
One of its peak popularity periods was in 1937, when Jewish housewives standardized the game and created the National Mah Jongg League.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026
Almutairi said the potential market goes far beyond traditional bank customers, from housewives with informal income, to university students, freelancers, and employees at small businesses who lack access to credit.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the 14-minute Super Afghan Gym is set in a gym in downtown Kabul, which features posters of muscular men on the walls, where a group of housewives come together during the one hour of the day reserved for women.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Wondering how the Ocean State's housewives celebrated Easter weekend?
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 6 Apr. 2026
At one point housewives were admonished not to shake their dust mops outdoors lest that contribute to smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 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
Many of her stories are about slices of everyday life, mixed with memories and philosophical reflections about the self and identity—from young women to housewives to women of old age.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
One of its peak popularity periods was in 1937, when Jewish housewives standardized the game and created the National Mah Jongg League.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026
Almutairi said the potential market goes far beyond traditional bank customers, from housewives with informal income, to university students, freelancers, and employees at small businesses who lack access to credit.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the 14-minute Super Afghan Gym is set in a gym in downtown Kabul, which features posters of muscular men on the walls, where a group of housewives come together during the one hour of the day reserved for women.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for housewives
Noun
-
The two men, who were flanked by their wives, chatted during the parade, which was capped with a flyover of four F-35 military jets.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Buckle up and read on for a complete guide to the wives and girlfriends of Formula 1 racers in the 2026 season.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The simple concept of three women sharing a unified bill on the road, in fact, was something they were deprived of for most of their careers within the indie-rock scene.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
-
During the Iraq War, the popular narrative was that our heroic soldiers and marines were going in to liberate the people, free women, and topple a brutal dictator—the same nonsense we are fed now about Iran.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 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 3 May. 2026.
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