If Your Husband Is Losing Respect For You, These 11 Phrases Start Slipping Out
MAYA LAB / Shutterstock Love is supposed to last forever. At least that’s what the stories we were told growing up taught us. Sadly, marriages are not as solid as they once were. A 2023 survey conducted by Pew Research Center found that one-third of Americans who had ever been married had their first union end in divorce. No one expects their love story to end on a sour note, but when things become complicated at home, divorce is the only option.
It's a huge blow to a marriage when partners begin to lose respect for each other. Conversations become intense. Arguments are more prevalent. A once peaceful home becomes volatile. Sometimes, a husband can lose respect for his wife. Maybe she had seriously hurt him, or he was beginning to lose faith in her. Whatever the situation may be, respect is the foundation of a healthy relationship. Once it is gone, you may notice your husband letting rude phrases slip out that he never would have said before.
If your husband is losing respect for you, these 11 phrases start slipping out
1. ‘You’re always like this’
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If your husband starts saying, "You’re always like this," he may be losing respect for you. He doesn’t have the patience to work through issues you may be having. It’s difficult to have a constructive conversation when respect goes out the window. The way he loves you will begin to change. He will stop holding his tongue and start saying what he truly means.
True love is about feeling respected and valued by your partner. If he no longer respects you, you will no longer have a loving relationship. His lack of patience with your behavior will show in the phrases he uses. When he says something like, "You're always like this," he’s stating his irritation. He doesn’t respect you, so he doesn’t value your feelings. He will have no problem saying words that cut deep and criticizing who you are.
2. ‘I don’t care anymore’
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A husband who has no problem explicitly saying he doesn’t care anymore to his wife clearly has lost respect for her. Anyone who truly values their partner will never allow themselves to stop caring in that way. He may use this phrase to create distance. If he doesn’t want to put in the effort to better the relationship, it can lead to a slow erosion of trust. If he is willing to say this phrase, he is showing how little he respects you.
With respect no longer in the picture, it’s easy to walk away. He will say he doesn’t care anymore, an obvious sign that the relationship is near over for him. He would have never said this phrase out loud when everything was positive in the partnership.
3. ‘Yeah, whatever’
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Being vulnerable is difficult. When you bring your concerns to your husband, only to be dismissed with the phrase, "Yeah, whatever," it can be heartbreaking. When he doesn’t want to have a conversation with you about how you are feeling, he has likely started to lose respect for you. Whether you did something to him or not, dismissing someone’s feelings is never okay. Work needs to be done in the relationship to move forward, if that is even an option.
There could be something going on deep within your husband. He could be feeling betrayed by you or someone important in his life, and he’s taking it out on you with dismissive behavior. “People who have experienced emotional trauma, such as betrayal, abandonment, or rejection, may develop dismissive behavior as a way to distance themselves from others and protect themselves from further emotional pain,” writes Sanjana Gupta for VeryWell Mind.
4. ‘You’re so dramatic’
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Sometimes, things become heated between husband and wife. As a husband begins to lose respect for his partner, he may start taking on more controlling or dismissive behavior. When his wife pushes back, he will tell her that she is being too dramatic. It’s an easy phrase to dismiss her feelings entirely. He becomes comfortable with sharing his disrespect.
He may begin to use the word ‘crazy’ to describe his wife for any behavior that he disagrees with. With this lack of respect, he will make her believe everything she is experiencing is just dramatics. Whether or not the disrespect stems from an event in the relationship, if your husband shows this distaste for your feelings, something is wrong.
5. ‘Just do whatever you want’
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When a husband begins to lose respect for his wife, he will stop making plans with her. Decisions that they once made together will become less meaningful to him. Saying ‘Just do whatever you want’ shows that he no longer cares about their life together. The respect has been lost, and he is emotionally checked out of the marriage.
“This phrase isn’t just dismissive; it signals intentional emotional withdrawal. When you say this, you’re saying, ‘Your choices no longer matter to me,’ creating lasting insecurity and emotional disconnection,” says Mark Travers, Ph.D. If there is any hope to work towards fixing the issues in the relationship, this phrase should be avoided.
6. ‘You’re always overreacting’
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When your husband is losing respect for you, his patience with you will start to fade. Mutual respect is the foundation of a good relationship. Respect can be a form of deep admiration. With a lack of respect and admiration, your husband will start to say cruel phrases like ‘You’re always overreacting’ as a way to show how little he cares.
Sure, we are all guilty of overreacting at times. However, our feelings are valid. When a man lacks respect for his partner, he won’t view her emotions as something he needs to put effort into anymore. That lack of admiration and respect will lead to him easily telling her she is overreacting. Before, he may have been able to hide his irritation. When respect is lost, this phrase will begin to slip out.
7. ‘I don’t have time for this’
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A big part of maintaining a relationship that very few people talk about is keeping your cool during tough conversations. When there is respect in a marriage, you both have mastered the art of listening to the other person with full intent, even if you are not interested in what they are saying. If you notice your husband letting the phrase ‘I don’t have time for this’ slip out in moments of tense conversation, his respect for you could be fading.
When respect is lost, a husband may become ambivalent. He will no longer care to put in effort. Becoming emotionally unavailable, this type of partner will make it clear he no longer cares due to his lack of respect for his wife. You will no longer be a priority.
8. ‘I’m tired of this’
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Let’s face it, we have all become tired of having the same conversations in a relationship. Arguments can be recurring. No matter how annoying it is to rehash the situation over and over, keeping your cool is important. If a man starts to respect his wife less and less, he won’t be afraid to let the phrase ‘I’m tired of this’ slip out in conversation.
With a lack of respect comes a communication breakdown. Choosing to stop talking about the important things because they are ‘tired of this’ creates more conflict, lowers intimacy, and can lead to divorce. A husband who is starting to lose respect for their wives will allow this phrase to slip because it is how they genuinely feel.
9. ‘I can’t talk to you’
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When respect begins to fade in a relationship, a husband’s temper may become shorter. In some instances, men will show they are losing respect for their wives by ignoring them or talking over them. Before, he may have been able to calmly approach things, even if they were frustrating. When respect exists in the conversation, he will let the phrase ‘I can’t talk to you’ slip out.
He will say this to escape conversations with his wife. He doesn’t have an interest in talking about what’s going on. The silent treatment is much more appealing than hashing it out, and talking over her instead of listening closely shows the respect he has. This phrase is disrespectful.
10. ‘Go away’
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When a man feels comfortable telling his partner to go away, he may not actually mean it. The disrespect is there, and he is acting out emotionally. Emotional outbursts like this damage relationships.
“Occasional dramatic interactions that are painful to one or both partners can be offset by healing and positive moments in between. But if they are continuous and prolonged, they will undermine and potentially destroy any relationship,” says Randi Gunther, Ph.D. Letting this phrase slip can be hard to recover from.
11. 'Leave me alone'
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There have been times when I’ve wanted to scream this phrase at the top of my lungs. Whether it was with my partner, a friend, or someone I worked with, this saying can become an intrusive thought. However, holding your tongue is key. When a man lets this phrase slip, he is clearly losing respect for his wife.
Going along with ‘Go away,’ this phrase can do serious damage. This is especially true if it is said during an argument. When your wife shares her feelings, and you tell her to leave you alone, you do not respect her. Saying this out loud can deeply hurt her feelings.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
