Meaning & use
trophy person
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
A person treated as a prize or status symbol by their partner, valued mainly for their looks.
Grammar: Countable; usually singular. Often used with 'a' or 'his/her'.
Patterns
- a trophy person
- someone's trophy person
He showed up at the party with his new trophy person, a model half his age.
The film criticizes men who treat their partners as trophy people rather than equals.
Word forms
| plural | trophy people |
|---|
Common combinations
- trophy wife
- The magazine article was about wealthy men and their trophy wives.
- trophy husband
- She's a successful lawyer, and her trophy husband stays at home.
- treat someone as a trophy
- He treats her as a trophy, not as a real partner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arm candy
- More slangy and often refers to a date rather than a spouse; it focuses on appearance at a public event.
Commonly confused: trophy person or trophy wife?
trophy person vs trophy wife
This is the much more common fixed phrase. 'Trophy person' is a gender-neutral version but is far less frequent.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'trophy person' in the most natural way?
Choose one answer.
The term describes a person treated as a status symbol, so it fits a social situation. Option 0 and 3 treat it as a physical object, and option 2 confuses it with a sports prize.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trophy person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.