better half

SEE SYNONYMS FOR better half ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person's wife.
a person's husband.

Origin of better half

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby better half

betted, bettelheim, bettendorf, better, better business bureau, better half, better late than never, better off, better part of, better safe than sorry, better than

Words related to better half

consort, helpmate, husband, mate, partner, rib, spouse, wife, espoused, helpmeet

Example sentences from the Web for better half

British Dictionary definitions for better half

better half

noun

jocular one's spouse

Idioms and Phrases with better half

better half
1

Also, better part. The larger amount or majority of something, as in I won't be long; the better half of this job is complete, or I have spent the better part of my life in this city. Sir Philip Sidney used the first term in Arcadia (1580): “I ... shall think the better half of it already achieved.” The variant appears in a well-known proverb, discretion is the better part of valor.

2

Also, my better half. One's (my) spouse, as in I'm not sure if we can go; I'll have to check with my better half. Originally this expression meant “a close friend or lover,” and by the 16th century it referred to either a wife or lover. Sidney used it in this way, again in Arcadia: “My dear, my better half (said he), I find I must now leave thee.” Today it tends to be used lightly for either husband or wife. “Late 1500s”