Meanings
nounsister-in-law (plural sisters-in-law or (colloquial, nonstandard) sister-in-laws)
plural sisters-in-law · colloquial nonstandard plural sister-in-laws
- A female relative of one's generation, separated by one degree of marriage:
- Co-sister-in-law: The wife of one's sibling-in-law.
Synonyms & antonyms
Narrower
Also see
Origin
- Middle Englishsuster-in-lawe
- Englishsister-in-law
Inherited from Middle English suster-in-lawe; equivalent to sister + -in-law.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γάλως, γάλως
- γάλως (gálōs)husband's sister
- γάλως (gálōs)brother's wife
- ἐνάτηρ (enátēr)husband's brother's wife
Arabic أُخْت زَوْجَة, سِلْفَة
- أُخْت زَوْجَة (ʔuḵt zawja)wife's sister
- سِلْفَة (silfa)wife's sister
- أُخْت زَوْج (ʔuḵt zawj)husband's sister
Bengali ভাবী, ভাউজ
- ভাবী (bhabi)brother's wife
- ভাউজ (bhauj)brother's wife
Bulgarian балдъза, зълва
- балдъза (baldăza)wife's sister
- зълва (zălva)husband's sister
- снаха (snaha)brother's wife
- шуренайка (šurenajka)wife's brother's wife
- етърва (etărva)husband's brother's wife
Catalan cunyada, cunyada
- cunyadawife's sister
- cunyadahusband's sister
- cunyadabrother's wife
- cunyadawife's brother's wife
- cunyadahusband's brother's wife
Chinese Cantonese 阿嫂, 弟婦 /弟妇
- 阿嫂 (aa³ sou²)brother's wife
- 弟婦 /弟妇 (dai⁶ fu⁵)brother's wife
- 阿妗 (aa³ kam⁵)brother's wife
Chinese Mandarin 大姨子, 姨姐
- 大姨子 (dàyízi)wife's sister
- 姨姐 (yíjiě)wife's sister
- 小姨子 (xiǎoyízi)wife's sister
- 大姑 (dàgū)husband's sister
- 小姑 (xiǎogū)husband's sister
- 嫂子 (sǎozi)brother's wife
- 姒 (sì)brother's wife
- 弟媳 (dìxí)brother's wife
- 舅嫂 (jiùsǎo)wife's brother's wife
Czech švagrová, švagrová
- švagrováwife's sister
- švagrováhusband's sister
- švagrovábrother's wife
- švagrováwife's brother's wife
- švagrováhusband's brother's wife
Danish svigerinde, svigerinde
- svigerindewife's sister
- svigerindehusband's sister
- svigerindebrother's wife
Dutch schoonzus, schoonzuster
- schoonzuswife's sister
- schoonzusterwife's sister
- schoonzushusband's sister
- schoonzusterhusband's sister
- schoonzusbrother's wife
- schoonzusterbrother's wife
- schoonzuswife's brother's wife
- schoonzusterwife's brother's wife
- schoonzushusband's brother's wife
- schoonzusterhusband's brother's wife
Esperanto bofratino, bofratino
- bofratinowife's sister
- bofratinohusband's sister
- bofratinobrother's wife
- bofratinowife's brother's wife
- bofratinohusband's brother's wife
Estonian käli, nadu
- käliwife's sister
- naduhusband's sister
- kälibrother's wife
- käliwife's brother's wife
- kälihusband's brother's wife
Finnish käly, käly
- kälywife's sister
- kälyhusband's sister
- natohusband's sister
- kälybrother's wife
- kälywife's brother's wife
- kälyhusband's brother's wife
French belle-sœur, belle-sœur
- belle-sœurwife's sister
- belle-sœurhusband's sister
- belle-sœurbrother's wife
- belle-sœurwife's brother's wife
- belle-sœurhusband's brother's wife
German Schwägerin, Schwägerin
- Schwägerinwife's sister
- Schwägerinhusband's sister
- Schwägerinbrother's wife
- Schwippschwägerinwife's brother's wife
- Schwippschwägerinhusband's brother's wife
Greek κουνιάδα, κουνιάδα
- κουνιάδα (kouniáda)wife's sister
- κουνιάδα (kouniáda)husband's sister
- νύφη (nýfi)brother's wife
- συννυφάδα (synnyfáda)husband's brother's wife
Hebrew גִּיסָה, גִּיסָה
- גִּיסָה (gisá)wife's sister
- גִּיסָה (gisá)husband's sister
- גִּיסָה (gisá)brother's wife
- גִּיסָה (gisá)wife's brother's wife
- גִּיסָה (gisá)husband's brother's wife
Hindi साली, ननद
- साली (sālī)wife's sister
- ननद (nanad)husband's sister
- भाभी (bhābhī)brother's wife
- देवरानी (devrānī)brother's wife
- सलहज (salhaj)wife's brother's wife
- जेठानी (jeṭhānī)husband's brother's wife
- देवरानी (devrānī)husband's brother's wife
Hungarian sógornő, sógornő
- sógornőwife's sister
- sógornőhusband's sister
- sógornőbrother's wife
- sógornőwife's brother's wife
- sógornőhusband's brother's wife
Icelandic mágkona, mágkona
- mágkonawife's sister
- mágkonahusband's sister
- mágkonabrother's wife
- svilkonawife's brother's wife
- svilkonahusband's brother's wife
Italian cognata, cognata
- cognatawife's sister
- cognatahusband's sister
- cognatabrother's wife
- cognatawife's brother's wife
- cognatahusband's brother's wife
Japanese 義姉, 義妹
- 義姉 (gishi)wife's sister
- 義妹 (gimai)wife's sister
- 義理の姉 (giri no ane)wife's sister
- 義理の妹 (giri no imōto)wife's sister
- 兄嫁 (aniyome)brother's wife
- 弟嫁 (otoyome)brother's wife
Korean 처제, 처형
- 처제 (cheoje)wife's sister
- 처형 (cheohyeong)wife's sister
- 시누이 (sinu'i)husband's sister
- 형님 (hyeongnim)husband's sister
- 아가씨 (agassi)husband's sister
- 제수 (jesu)brother's wife
- 계수 (gyesu)brother's wife
- 형수 (hyeongsu)brother's wife
- 올케 (olke)brother's wife
- 처남댁 (cheonamdaek)wife's brother's wife
- 동서 (dongseo)husband's brother's wife
Latin glōs, glōs
- glōswife's sister
- glōshusband's sister
- frātria f uxor frātrisbrother's wife
Latvian svaine, vīramāsa
- svainewife's sister
- vīramāsahusband's sister
- māsīcahusband's sister
- māršabrother's wife
- ietaļahusband's brother's wife
Lithuanian sváinė, moša
- sváinėwife's sister
- mošahusband's sister
- vyro sesuohusband's sister
- brolienėbrother's wife
- brolienėhusband's brother's wife
Malay kakak ipar, adik ipar
- kakak iparwife's sister
- adik iparwife's sister
- kakak iparhusband's sister
- adik iparhusband's sister
- iparhusband's sister
- kakak iparbrother's wife
- adik iparbrother's wife
- biraswife's brother's wife
- birashusband's brother's wife
Māori auwahine, taokete
- auwahinewife's sister
- taoketehusband's sister
Norwegian Bokmål svigerinne, svigerinne
- svigerinnewife's sister
- svigerinnehusband's sister
- svigerinnebrother's wife
- svigerinnewife's brother's wife
- svigerinnehusband's brother's wife
Persian خواهرزن, خیاشنه
- خواهرزن (xâhar-zan)wife's sister
- خیاشنه (xayâšne)wife's sister
Polish szwagierka, szwagierka
- szwagierkawife's sister
- szwagierkahusband's sister
- bratowabrother's wife
Portuguese cunhada, cunhada
- cunhadawife's sister
- cunhadahusband's sister
- cunhadabrother's wife
- esposa do cunhadowife's brother's wife
- mulher do cunhadowife's brother's wife
- concunhadawife's brother's wife
- cunhadawife's brother's wife
- esposa do cunhadohusband's brother's wife
- mulher do cunhadohusband's brother's wife
- concunhadahusband's brother's wife
- cunhadahusband's brother's wife
Punjabi ਭਰਜਾਈ, ਭਾਬੀ
- ਭਰਜਾਈ (bharjāī)brother's wife
- ਭਾਬੀ (bhābī)brother's wife
- بَھرْجائی (bharjā'ī)brother's wife
- بھابی (bhābī)brother's wife
Romanian cumnată, cumnată
- cumnatăwife's sister
- cumnatăhusband's sister
- cumnatăbrother's wife
- cumnatăwife's brother's wife
- cumnatăhusband's brother's wife
Russian неве́стка, своя́ченица
- неве́стка (nevéstka)wife's sister
- своя́ченица (svojáčenica)wife's sister
- неве́стка (nevéstka)husband's sister
- золо́вка (zolóvka)husband's sister
- неве́стка (nevéstka)brother's wife
- неве́стка (nevéstka)wife's brother's wife
- неве́стка (nevéstka)husband's brother's wife
Scottish Gaelic piuthar-chèile, piuthar-bhean
- piuthar-chèilewife's sister
- piuthar-bheanwife's sister
- piuthar-chèilehusband's sister
- piuthar-fhearhusband's sister
- bean-bhràthairbrother's wife
- piuthar-chèilebrother's wife
Slovak švagriná, švagriná
- švagrináwife's sister
- švagrináhusband's sister
- zolvicahusband's sister
- švagrinábrother's wife
Spanish cuñada, cuñada
- cuñadawife's sister
- cuñadahusband's sister
- cuñadabrother's wife
- cuñadawife's brother's wife
- cuñadahusband's brother's wife
Swedish svägerska, svägerska
- svägerskawife's sister
- svägerskahusband's sister
- svägerskabrother's wife
- svägerskasister's wife
- svägerskawife's brother's wife
- svägerskahusband's brother's wife
Tagalog hipag, hipag
- hipagwife's sister
- hipaghusband's sister
- insobrother's wife
- hipagbrother's wife
- bilas na babaewife's brother's wife
- bilas na babaehusband's brother's wife
Tamil கொழுந்தி, மச்சினி
- கொழுந்தி (koḻunti)wife's sister
- மச்சினி (macciṉi)husband's sister
- அண்ணி (aṇṇi)brother's wife
- அக்கா (akkā)husband's brother's wife
- தங்கை (taṅkai)husband's brother's wife
Turkish baldız, görümce
- baldızwife's sister
- görümcehusband's sister
- yengebrother's wife
- eltiwife's brother's wife
- eltihusband's brother's wife
Urdu سالی, نَنْد
- سالی (sālī)wife's sister
- نَنْد (nand)husband's sister
- نَنَد (nanad)husband's sister
- نَنَنْد (nanand)husband's sister
- بھابی (bhābī)brother's wife
- بھاوَج (bhāvaj)brother's wife
- بھوجائی (bhojāī)brother's wife
- سَلْہَج (salhaj)wife's brother's wife
- سالے کی بِیوِی (sāle kī bīvī)wife's brother's wife
- دیوْرَانی (devrānī)husband's brother's wife
- جِٹھانی (jiṭhānī)husband's brother's wife
- جیٹھانی (jeṭhānī)husband's brother's wife
Vietnamese chị vợ, em vợ
- chị vợwife's sister
- em vợwife's sister
- chị chồnghusband's sister
- em chồnghusband's sister
- chị dâubrother's wife
- em dâubrother's wife
- chị dâuwife's brother's wife
- em dâuwife's brother's wife
- chị dâuhusband's brother's wife
- em dâuhusband's brother's wife
Cite this entry
APA
sister-in-law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sister-in-law
MLA
“sister-in-law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sister-in-law. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sister-in-law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sister-in-law.
Source: sister-in-law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.