housewife

housewife — noun

1. A woman who manages the daily activities of a home — such as cooking, cleaning,

1.nounA2
Definition

A woman who manages the daily activities of a home — such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for children — and who does not work in a paid job outside the house.

Example

Amelia has been a housewife since her first child was born and enjoys managing the household.

pattern: has been a housewife since [event]

After leaving her teaching job, Camila became a housewife to care for her two young children.

pattern: became a housewife

Common collocations
  • full-time housewife
  • become a housewife
  • as a housewife
  • a housewife with children
  • be a housewife
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • working mother

    a woman with children who has a paid job outside the home

  • breadwinner

    the person who earns the main income for the family

Usage Note

Frequently used with full-time (a full-time housewife) or as a self-description. The male equivalent is househusband. In modern contexts, stay-at-home parent or homemaker are sometimes preferred for gender neutrality.

Common Mistakes

He is a housewife.
He is a househusband.
housewife always refers to a woman, never a man.
She works as a housewife.
She is a housewife.
describes a personal role, not a paid job title.

Word family

  • househusband
    nounB2
  • housewifely
    adjectiveC1
  • housewifery
    nounC2
  • homemaker
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Housewife is the traditional term, specifically referring to a married woman who manages the home without outside paid work. Homemaker is the most common modern alternative — it is gender-neutral and avoids implying a marriage requirement. Stay-at-home mom is informal and widely used in everyday conversation, though it puts more emphasis on childcare than on household tasks. Househusband is the male equivalent of housewife, used for a man who stays home to manage the household. Domestic engineer is a humorous, euphemistic label that some women use playfully, but it is rarely heard in serious or professional contexts. If you are describing someone's role in a conversation, homemaker or stay-at-home parent are the safest choices.

homemakerstay-at-home momhousehusband ↗domestic engineer

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • stay at home
  • be a housewife
  • work as a housewife

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Old English from 'hūs' (house) and 'wīf' (woman or wife). In Middle English it was 'husewif', meaning the female head of a household. Over time the word narrowed to refer specifically to a married woman who manages the home rather than working in a paid job. This restricted sense became dominant in the 19th and early 20th centuries.