ENGLISH
REFERENCE

trophy wife

idiom
Meaning

A wife, usually young and attractive, regarded as a status symbol for her husband, usually older and affluent.


Origin

first recorded 20th c.

Popularized by Julie Connelly in a Fortune magazine cover story in 1989, by analogy with a real estate trophy building.

Examples
SIMPLE

He likes to show off his trophy wife at every party.

CONTEXTUAL

The wealthy businessman was often seen at high-society events accompanied by his much younger trophy wife.

COMPLEX

Critics often dismissed her professional accomplishments, unfairly labeling her as nothing more than a trophy wife for her influential husband.

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    take a wife

    To marry a woman.

  2. 02

    trouble

    [Cockney slang]wife

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