wifelike

7.5

Showing care and duty often expected of a wife

adjective
/ˈwaɪfˌlaɪk/

: esposil

The novel describes a heroine who is both independent and wifelike in her care for the family.

Examples

Her wifelike devotion and support impressed everyone who met her.
He sought a partner with gentle manners and a wifelike sense of responsibility.
Her wifelike nature made him feel cared for.
He appreciates her wifelike qualities.
He sought a partner with gentle manners and a wifelike sense of responsibility.
Her wifelike devotion and support impressed everyone who met her.
The novel describes a heroine who is both independent and wifelike in her care for the family.

Synonyms

wifely

vswifelike

6 7.1

Actions a married woman usually does to care for her family

is about having traits regarded as typical rather than fitting duties

uxorial

vswifelike

Formal

9.9

Relating to a wife and her role

focuses on possessing traits regarded as typical for that role

wifey

vswifelike

Slang

8.8

Behaving in a caring, responsible way like cooking or tidying for a partner

describes general typical qualities rather than specific domestic behaviour

Surface Forms

wifelike positive

Morphology

wifelike = wife (transparent) = wife + like

The adjective is formed by the productive suffix '-like' added to 'wife', giving a directly derived meaning 'having qualities of a wife'.

Etymology

Wifelike is made from wife meaning 'married woman' and the ending -like meaning 'similar to', so it literally means 'similar to a wife' and is used to describe qualities such as care and responsibility.