Why the new ‘tradwife’ dictionary definition is stirring debate among moms

Cambridge Dictionary’s new definition of ‘tradwife’ is sparking pushback from moms who say it reduces caregiving to a social media stereotype.

Cambridge Dictionary recently added the term “tradwife” to its entries, defining it as a woman who stays at home, cooks, cleans, raises children, and posts about this lifestyle on social media. While the dictionary’s editors note that their role is to observe and record language rather than pass judgment, the addition has drawn criticism for oversimplifying a nuanced cultural phenomenon.

Related: What’s a ‘tradwife’ and why are they all over social media?

Tracking the term online before inclusion

The editors began tracking “tradwife” on YouTube and Instagram in 2018, initially as two separate words. By 2020, it started appearing more widely as a single word. Wendalyn Nichols, publishing manager for Cambridge Dictionary, said the term “gained momentum over the first half of this decade” and is now often associated with conservative women embracing traditional gender roles.

Lexicographers observe without judgment

“As lexicographers, our job is to observe and record, and it is not to pass judgment on the terms,” Nichols said. “We have horrible slurs in the dictionary that are appropriately labeled and cautioned about. But they are there because, for learners, if they don’t find these words, they won’t know to be careful.”

Critics say the definition oversimplifies a cultural movement

Critics, however, say the dictionary’s definition collapses a complex cultural movement into a stereotype. Writer Jo Piazza commented:

“New substack! Link in stories. I don’t expect the authors of the Cambridge dictionary to be fully versed in the nuance of tradwifery and social media context. I mean, I would like everyone to be, but media literacy these days is at an all time low. My biggest issue with this definition and the reason I feel an intense need to call it out is that it is terribly condescending to women who choose to stay in the home and care for their families. ‘Stay-at-home mom’ is already a term loaded with dismissal, as if being the CEO of a household and the caregiver for an entire family is somehow less than a dude who works in an office. Cambridge’s definition seems to encompass any woman who works in the home and just ‘posts on social media.’ But tradwife is not just shorthand for women cooking and cleaning on TikTok and Instagram. As I have been writing about for years now, the tradwife phenomenon is a cultural movement. It is an aesthetic, often a performance, and more often a business model.”

Social media drives the term’s popularity

The rise of social media has played a key role in the word’s popularity, reflecting both aesthetic performance and lived reality. Experts note that dictionaries often lag behind nuance, capturing words only after they gain widespread understanding and cultural tipping points.

The careful process of adding words

Nichols explained that adding words is a careful process that includes tracking search trends, monitoring mainstream and social media usage, soliciting user feedback, and recognizing when a term moves out of quotation marks and becomes part of everyday language. For example, Covid-19 entered the dictionary just 37 days after it was identified, highlighting how cultural relevance drives inclusion.

Concerns about labeling stay-at-home parents

For many mothers, the concern is not merely the dictionary’s entry but the implications of labeling. By codifying “tradwife” as shorthand for a domestic lifestyle, critics argue that the language risks oversimplifying and stereotyping the diverse experiences of stay-at-home parents.

Related: Survey shows more than 70% of moms compare themselves to momfluencers on social media

Reflections on language, culture, and identity

Cambridge Dictionary’s addition of “tradwife” demonstrates how social media shapes language, culture, and identity while prompting reflection on the power of words to define—or dismiss—real-life experiences.

How do you feel about the word ‘tradwife’? Does it reflect or dismiss your experience?