to henpeck
- verb
- /ˈhɛnˌpɛk/
- Archaic
- Looking at her mother's hard jaw and her father's unabashed smile, we perceived he was henpecked and didn't care or didn't know it.
Examples
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And Mr. Stewart plays the lush, the good-natured drunk, and unlike modern movies, this is not an alcoholism we are rooting for him to overcome; he accepts it as part of him, and so do we, while the world tries to "improve" him like a henpecking wife.
Blog text (2) -
I'm saying ho, like punk bitch that's been henpecked... ...so he ain't got no more nuts, because his girl runs the house.
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Ever heard the expression "henpecked"?
Blog text (31) -
He running home all henpecked.
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She's plump, she works hard, but she henpecks him.
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She tends to henpeck her husband about his eating habits, always reminding him to eat healthier.
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Many believe he is henpecked because his wife makes all the household decisions.
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Whenever they go out, she henpecks him about the clothes he wears, insisting he dress more formally.
Synonyms
To bother someone again and again so they feel upset or tired
To boss other people around and not let them speak
Antonyms
How Controlling
- US
- Informal
- Archaic
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Henpeck comes from the same bird image: a hen that pecks, or 'pokes' again and again, so to henpeck someone is to nag or control them constantly.