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.
Sperling, who will now be known as Mrs Phillips, wore a dress designed by Emilia Wickstead, earrings by Pragnell and the Pragnell family tiara, with shoes by Jimmy Choo.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
"From 2017 onwards, Mrs Chirac shared great help, support and guidance with me," Brigitte Macron said in a written statement to AFP, referring to the year her husband won his first term.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
Mrs Brown said she was "honoured and humbled" to be made an OBE, adding she had finally "been heard by the system" and was "pleased that the public are still learning about this".
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Both Mrs Brown and Sir Alan Bates were part of the Group Litigation Order compensation scheme, and those claimants were offered the option of taking a fixed sum of £75,000 or pursuing their own settlement.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Aren’t you even going to open it Mr and Mrs Jason Richmond Compson announce the Three times.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
