bridal
Americanadjective
noun
-
a wedding.
-
Archaic. a wedding feast.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of bridal
before 1100; Middle English bridale wedding feast, Old English brȳdealu, equivalent to brȳd bride 1 + ealu ale, i.e., ale-drinking; now taken as bride 1 + -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective bridal to talk about a wedding or a bride. A bridal bouquet is the arrangement of flowers the bride carries during a wedding ceremony. Usually the word bridal describes anything having to do with a bride, like the bridal veil or the bridal party, or the bride's friends and family. Sometimes bridal refers to the newlywed couple, like the bridal suite they might stay in at a hotel on their honeymoon. Remember, bridal has nothing to do with horses — that's bridle, which sounds the same but means part of a harness.
Vocabulary lists containing bridal
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Commonly Confused Words, List 5
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Commonly Confused Words, List 7
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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.
Her bridal bouquet included sweet peas, myrtle – a tradition in Ms Sperling's family and for the Royal Family – and lily of the valley.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Pants and cuffs still need to be hemmed to say nothing of bridal, prom and other special-occasion clothes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Signet said lab-grown diamonds made up roughly 40% of its bridal business.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025
“His longer-term strategy, Grow Brand Love, which focuses on driving growth in self-purchase and gifting through design-led product, while continuing to expand in bridal, appears to be gaining traction.”
From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025
The sight of me in my white silk bridal gown practically causes a riot.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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.
