espoused

[ ih-spouzd, -spousd ]

adjective

1. embraced or adopted, as an idea, principle, or cause:

   There was an immediate negative reaction to his clearly espoused beliefs on the subject.

2. Archaic. married:

   Once while I was in medical school, my recently espoused wife was persuaded to come and see me do a post-mortem.

3. Archaic. engaged or betrothed:

   Espoused couples desiring to be married by the Ministerial Staff are required to complete the six-week preparation course.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of espouse ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·es·poused adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of espoused¹

espouse ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

It is the kind of compassion espoused by every world religion and every revered religious leader.

From The Daily Beast

But such an approach works against the traditional pride in self-sufficiency espoused by many in the American middle class.

From The Daily Beast

And the values of Chabad rest uneasily alongside the values publicly espoused in the Booker-Boteach-Hecht show.

From The Daily Beast

This was the same all-too-easy-to-articulate ideological trinity regularly espoused by the military junta.

From The Daily Beast

Pearce, Ready said, espoused “neo-Nazi philosophy completely.”

From The Daily Beast

He warmly espoused the interests of his country, and many important measures were effected by his eloquence.

From Project Gutenberg

A pretty dispute followed, in which Edna warmly espoused her father's cause and the Doctor remained neutral.

From Project Gutenberg

She then espoused the second clerk, Berthier, in 1837, after having been on the point of accepting Lousteau.

From Project Gutenberg

The influence of Constantine seems to have been fraught with more of evil than of good to the new religion that he espoused.

From Project Gutenberg

Having espoused the party of the Persians, Pixodarus sent for a satrap to share the kingdom with him.

From Project Gutenberg