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Ahomewrecker (sometimes styled ashome wrecker orhome-wrecker) is a person, object or activity that causes or comes close to causing the breakup of amarriage (or similar partnership). The homewrecker is said to have taken one of the spouses away from the marriage, thus "wrecking" the marital home.
Most commonly, the label "homewrecker" is applied to a person having anaffair with someone else's spouse ordomestic partner; it can also refer to other forces that are destructive to a marital relationship and tied only to one party to that relationship.[1][2]
When "homewrecker" is used to describe a person, it is applied to someone who breaks up a pre-existing relationship by having an affair with one of its partners. It may be applied more often when the person actually intends to cause the break-up in order to replace the prior partner permanently.
Homewrecking is not used exclusively to describe the break-up of marriages; it is also used in connection with other long-term relationships that resemble marriage, especially where there are children or joint property.
Less frequently, other intense and/or time-consuming pursuits of a partner lead to broken relationships and are labeled "homewreckers";alcoholism, for example, has long been identified as a homewrecker.[1] More common examples aredrug addiction,gambling addiction,domestic violence, e.g.child abuse andcontrollingpersonality.[1]
Other common targets for homewrecker labeling are intense pursuit of a career, devotion to ahobby, or running a business.[3] The time commitment to these and similar activities can rend normal home life asunder and earn the name "homewrecker".
Immersive Internet-based social applications andpornography are also becoming more commonly labelled as homewreckers, especially when they share the social and sexual aspects of having an affair.
Family members can act as homewreckers by alienating one partner, identifying weaknesses in one partner, and/or exacerbating minor disagreements into major issues.
Usage is disputed for precarious relationships prior to the affair. For example, in a faltering marriage, an estranged husband may have an affair, and the wife may blame the alleged homewrecker for the breakup of the marriage, even though the affair itself was partly the result of stresses that pre-dated it. Nevertheless, even in such cases, the affair can be a major impetus in making the relationship unsalvageable.[4]
Others suggest that affairs should never create an impression of homewrecking since it is unhealthy relationships that lead to affairs and that any fault for an affair should be laid more at the feet of thecheating partner than at the third party.[4]
There are several differentcocktails called "Homewrecker." As with many named alcoholic drinks, there is an element of hyperbole in this name; it may relate to the common application of term to alcoholism as a marriage stressor, as described above.[1]
The recipes for several different variations of "Homewrecker" cocktails include:
