adultery
Americannoun
plural
adulteriesnoun
Usage
What does adultery mean? Adultery is a consensual sexual relationship or encounter between someone who’s married and a person they’re not married to (who may or may not be married to someone else). In other words, it can be between two people who are both married to other people, or between a married person and a nonmarried person. Typically, for something to be considered adultery, at least one of the partners must be married. On the other hand, similar words like cheating, infidelity, and unfaithfulness can be used regardless of whether either person is married—they simply refer to a (usually sexual) relationship or encounter between people when one or both of them is in a committed relationship with someone else. When it happens with someone other than one’s spouse, a long-term relationship (often called an affair), a single sexual encounter, or anything in between can be considered to constitute adultery. In some cases, a relationship may even be considered adultery when it’s nonsexual but intimate (this is sometimes called an emotional affair). The word adultery is especially used in a religious context, in which it’s often considered a sin. For that reason, it’s often used with the verb commit. It’s also sometimes used in a legal context, such as during divorce proceedings. Adultery is a crime in some places (including in some U. S. states, though people aren’t often charged for it). Adultery is associated with a considerable amount of stigma. The word adultery and its related terms are always used negatively and imply a critical judgment of such actions. Someone who participates in adultery can be called an adulterer. Such people or relationships can be described as adulterous. The word adulteress specifically refers to a woman who has engaged in adultery. (It has been more common throughout history for women to be blamed—and punished—for adulterous relationships than men.)Example: Adultery is a profound breach of trust in a marriage.
Etymology
Origin of adultery
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English adulterie, from Latin adulterium, equivalent to adulter ( see adulterer) + -ium -ium; replacing Middle English a(d)voutri(e), from Old French avout(e)rie
Compare meaning
How does adultery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Adultery is a word for cheating — cheating on your spouse with another person. Adultery isn’t a crime, but some people consider it a sin. If two people are dating, and one fools around with someone else, it's not adultery. Only married people can commit adultery. If you commit adultery — and your spouse finds out — then you’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Although it's still highly frowned upon, cultural attitudes toward adultery have changed a lot: the classic book The Scarlet Letter shows how harshly women were once treated for committing adultery.
Vocabulary lists containing adultery
Novel Study: The Crucible, Act 2
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The Woman Warrior
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was accused of adultery, incest and treason and was executed.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Directed by André Gregory, the writer’s latest sees a four-person cast delivering long passages that together tell a familiar story of love, ennui and adultery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
In her divorce filing, Senator Paxton alleged that her husband had committed adultery, listing it as the “grounds for divorce.”
From Salon • Jul. 10, 2025
A weakness that emerged in no-fault is that fault-based divorces with evidence of abuse or adultery theoretically gave some power to the woman, who was usually the “injured party,” says Higdon.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2024
Had Margaery Tyrell somehow wriggled free of the accusations of fornication, adultery, and high treason?
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
