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Meaning & use

a home wrecker

noun·Everydaydisapprovinginformal

Last updated

UK/ə ˈhəʊm ˌrekə/
US/ə ˈhoʊm ˌrekər/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meaning

  1. nouncountabledisapprovinginformal

    A person who is blamed for causing a marriage or serious relationship to end, usually by having a romantic relationship with one partner.

    Grammar: Countable; use 'a' or 'the' and the plural 'home wreckers'. Often used with 'called' or 'accused of being'.

    Patterns

    • call someone a home wrecker
    • accuse someone of being a home wrecker
    • a home wrecker who ...

    The tabloids called the actress a home wrecker after the divorce.

    He was accused of being a home wrecker, though he said the marriage was already over.

    In the small town, people whispered that the new neighbor was a home wrecker.

Word forms

pluralhome wreckers

Common combinations

call someone a home wrecker
The newspaper called him a home wrecker, which he denied.
accuse someone of being a home wrecker
She accused the other woman of being a home wrecker.
labeled a home wrecker
He was labeled a home wrecker by the press.

Synonyms and how they differ

adulterer
More formal and legal; it refers to a married person who has sex with someone else, not necessarily to breaking up a home.
mistress
Refers to a woman in a long-term secret relationship with a married man; it does not always carry the blame of 'home wrecker'.

Word family

home noun
The place where a family lives.
wrecker noun
A person or thing that destroys something.
wreck verb
To destroy or ruin something.

Commonly confused: a home wrecker or homewrecker?

a home wrecker vs homewrecker

This is the same word written as one word; 'home wrecker' is also common and both are accepted.

Practice

What does 'a home wrecker' mean?

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