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henpecked

[hen-pekt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR henpecked ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

browbeaten, bullied, or intimidated by one's wife, girlfriend, etc.: a henpecked husband who never dared to contradict his wife.

RELATED WORDS

acquiescent, compliant, constrained, docile, intimidated, meek, obedient, passive, resigned, submissive, timid, yielding, browbeaten, dominated, unassertive, unresisting

Nearby words

  1. hennin,
  2. henoch,
  3. henoch-schönlein purpura,
  4. henotheism,
  5. henpeck,
  6. henri,
  7. henri, robert,
  8. henrietta,
  9. henrietta maria,
  10. henry

Origin of henpecked

First recorded in 1670–80; hen + peck2 + -ed2
Related formshen·peck·ing, noun

henpeck

[hen-pek]

verb (used with object)

to browbeat, bully, or intimidate (one's husband, boyfriend, etc.).
Related formshen·pecked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for henpecked

British Dictionary definitions for henpecked

henpecked

adjective

(of a man) continually harassed or tormented by the persistent nagging of a woman (esp his wife)

henpeck

verb

(tr) (of a woman) to harass or torment (a man, esp her husband) by persistent nagging
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for henpecked

henpecked

adj.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper