What does "household" mean?
Collectively, all the persons who live in a given house; a family including attendants, servants etc.; a domestic or family establishment.
Household
/ˈhaʊshoʊld/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Collectively, all the persons who live in a given house; a family including attendants, servants etc.; a domestic or family establishment.
- Grammar: household is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: family, home, accustomed, ancestral halls.
- Useful contrasts: empty dwelling, external, individual level.
- Usage evidence: More and more married couples share household chores.
How to use "household"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "household" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "household" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "household" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "household" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "household" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "family" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "household", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Collectively, all the persons who live in a given house; a family including attendants, servants etc.; a domestic or family establishment.
"And calls, without affecting airs, / His household twice a day to prayers."
- 2 a social unit living together wordnet
- 3 Entirety of work and management required to sustain the household.
- 4 Legal or culturally determined unit of people living together.
- 5 A line of ancestry; a race or house. obsolete
"In thee thy mother dies, our household's name, / My death's revenge, thy youth, and England's fame."
Adjective
- 1 Belonging to the same house and family. not-comparable
- 2 Found in or having its origin in a home. not-comparable
"Whether boarding an airplane with underwear on your face to protest mask requirements, injecting yourself with horse dewormer instead of a safe and effective vaccine or swallowing household disinfectants because the President of the United States unironically suggested that it might help, the pandemic has amplified the frequency and tenor of ridiculous and sometimes alarming behavior."
- 3 Widely known to the public; familiar. not-comparable
"a household word; a household name"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"More and more married couples share household chores."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "household"?
Common synonyms include: family, home, accustomed, ancestral halls, assets, attic.
How do you use "household" in a sentence?
More and more married couples share household chores.
How do you pronounce "household"?
Pronounced /ˈhaʊshoʊld/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English houshold. By surface analysis, house + hold. Cognate with Scots houshald, housald, housell, howsell (“household”), Dutch huishouden (“household”) (earlier huishoud), German Low German Huushollen (“household”) (Middle Low German hūsholt), German Haushalt (“household”), Swedish hushåll (“household, family”), Norwegian husholdning (“household”).
Etymology 2
English surname, from Middle English houshold (“household, family”), denoting someone who is a householder or is a member of a particular one.