trophy wife
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of trophy wife
An Americanism dating back to 1985–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She got small parts in “Mad Men” and “Rent,” but has said she “was typecast as a trophy wife and kind of put into this box.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Demi Moore co-stars as a late oil baron’s trophy wife who’s trying to initiate a hostile takeover, and Sam Elliott joins the cast as the father of Thornton’s character.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025
"Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife," Scott wrote.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2023
Since we’re child-free and I already finished college, I suppose you could call me a trophy wife, but firstly, I’m nonbinary, and secondly, that’s the rub.
From Slate ● Dec. 2, 2022
For this Australian-born actress’s best-known American performance, as a deceptively wily trophy wife in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” you’ll have to rent it via Amazon, iTunes, and other services.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2018
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.
