Skip to main content
spousehood

spousehood

6.8
Being married and having the duties of a husband or wife
  • noun
  • /ˈspaʊsˌhʊd/
translation icon : matrimonio
  • Many couples find that their spousehood deepens as they face challenges together.

Examples

  • Issues of social responsibility, loving partnerships, and spousehood are promoted over the institutional concepts of husband, wife, and parent.

    Academic text (2006)
  • It is true that the average person who values being a husband or wife is likely to value family security, but divorced people may cling to parents and children while rejecting spousehood, and self-involved newlyweds may be willing to see the rest of their families disappear in a puff of smoke.

    Academic text (1993)
  • After years of love and commitment, they celebrated their spousehood at a beautiful ceremony.

  • The support they provided each other during tough times strengthened their spousehood.

Synonyms

marriage
vsspousehood
1.0

The legal joining of two people as life partners

is about the person's status within that union rather than the union itself
wedlock
vsspousehood
36 6.4

Being married to each other

refers to the individual's status within that union
matrimony
vsspousehood
  • Formal
17 4.1

The state of being married to another person

emphasizes personal status after a formal union rather than the institution
marital relationship
vsspousehood
1 3.5

A connection between two people who are married

means the person's status rather than the couple's mutual relationship
conjugality
vsspousehood
  • Formal
8.8

The close relationship between married partners

focuses instead on the person's status within that union
spousal relationship
vsspousehood
  • Formal
3.5

A legal relationship between two people who are married

refers instead to the individual's status rather than the couple's legal bond

Antonyms

1 3.7

Not being married or in a romantic relationship

Surface Forms

spousehood singular
spousehoods plural

Morphology

spousehood = spouse (transparent) = spouse + hood

The suffix '-hood' is commonly used to denote a state or condition, making the meaning clear from the base word 'spouse'.

Etymology

Spousehood comes from spouse and the ending -hood, where -hood means 'state' or 'condition', just like in childhood. So, spousehood means the 'state of being a spouse' or married life.