a title of respect prefixed to the surname or full name of a married woman.
Mrs. Jones; Mrs. Susan Jones.
a title prefixed to a mock surname that is used to represent possession of a particular attribute, identity, etc., especially in an idealized or excessive way.
Mrs. Punctuality.
Mrs., first recorded in the early 17th century, was originally, like Miss, an abbreviation of mistress. Mrs. and mistress were at first used interchangeably in all contexts, but by the second half of that century, the written form of the abbreviation was largely confined to use as a title preceding a woman's surname. By the early 19th century, reduction of the medial consonant cluster had contracted the usual pronunciation of the title from to or . The contracted pronunciation used other than as a title was not considered standard, and today, locutions like Let me discuss it with the missis are perceived as old-fashioned. Currently, two main types of pronunciation for the abbreviation occur in the United States; and sometimes are the common forms in the North and North Midland, while in the South Midland and South, the prevalent types are and , the latter homophonous with the usual pronunciation of the abbreviation Ms.
See Ms.
Abbreviation of mistress
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Join MarketWatch for a live talk and Q&A with Haley Sacks, aka Mrs. Dow Jones, on how money stress shows up in your life and what to do about it.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
It’s a notable decision considering the power once held by Mrs. Kirchner and her late husband, Néstor, who was president from 2003-07.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
In other words, the painting’s story isn’t so different from the one that preceded the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bezos.
From Salon • May 6, 2026
Jones came to think of Mrs. Bennet as a businesswoman who needs to offload properties — four of them will get snapped up — but Mary’s not moving.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
“Listen, I know Mrs. Kuen told you that my ma and ba want me to get married. That’s true, but I want you to know that I wasn’t trying to trap you into anything.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
