other woman
Marriage's hidden rival
The other woman is a woman with whom a married man is having an affair—the third party in an adulterous relationship.
The phrase carries judgment, positioning her as an interloper in an existing marriage: She never wanted to be the other woman.
The parallel term "other man" exists but is far less common, reflecting cultural assumptions about who initiates infidelity.
Illicit female lover
- adulteryMarried person's sexual betrayal
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
- cheatingDeceptive rule-breaking
- loverRomantic intimate
paramour · extramarital · unfaithful · secret · liaison · fling · clandestine · forbidden
Woman who entices romantically
- femme fataleTreacherous enchantress
- sirenWailing alert device
- enchantressWoman who uses sorcery
- vixenFemale of Reynard's kind
flirt · coquette · allure · temptation · enticer · bewitching · seductive · provocative
One blamed for infidelity
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
- disgraceLoss of honor
- shamePainful awareness of failure
notoriety · expose · revelation · scorned · condemnation · backlash · divorce · reputation
Struggle for supremacy
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- envyResentful longing for another's
- threatIndication of potential harm
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
antagonist · conflict · wife · spouse · comparison · insecurity · territory · replacement
mistress
Illicit female lover
- adulteryMarried person's sexual betrayal
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
- cheatingDeceptive rule-breaking
lover · paramour · extramarital · unfaithful · secret · liaison · fling · clandestine · forbidden · entanglement
seductress
Woman who entices romantically
- femme fataleTreacherous enchantress
- sirenWailing alert device
- enchantressWoman who uses sorcery
vixen · flirt · coquette · allure · temptation · enticer · bewitching · seductive · provocative · irresistible
homewrecker
One blamed for infidelity
shame · notoriety · expose · revelation · scorned · condemnation · backlash · divorce · reputation · sensational
competition
Struggle for supremacy
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- envyResentful longing for another's
- threatIndication of potential harm
nemesis · antagonist · conflict · wife · spouse · comparison · insecurity · territory · replacement · younger
- loverslover, lovers, beloved, sweethearts, sweetheart
- forbidden loveforbidden love, forbidden romance, illicit love, secret love, forbidden fruit
- infidelityadultery, affair, adulteress, cheating, cheater
- romancelove story, amor, love, boyfriend, courting
- romance novelsbodice ripper, Harlequin, happily ever after, rake, historical romance
- betrayerstraitor, betrayer, backstabber, turncoat, double-crosser
other womanwife
Female marriage partner
spouse · primary partner · the missus · main squeeze · first wife
woman, other, another, others, otherwise, otherworldly, othering, otherness