celibate
Americannoun
-
a person who abstains from sexual relations.
-
a person who remains unmarried, especially for religious reasons.
adjective
-
observing or pertaining to sexual abstention or a religious vow not to marry.
-
not married.
noun
adjective
-
unmarried, esp by vow
-
abstaining from sexual intercourse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celibate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin caelib- (stem of caelebs ) “unmarried” + -ate 1
Explanation
A person who refrains from being sexually active is celibate. "They dated for three years in high school but committed to staying celibate until marriage — something they were grateful for after breaking up and marrying others when they got older. While celibate comes from a 17th-century Latin term for "unmarried," today it's used for all people who don't engage in sexual activity. Priests and nuns vow to remain celibate as part of their religious commitments, and many youth groups and religious organizations promote staying celibate until marriage. As a noun, a celibate refers to one who practices celibacy — like the priests and nuns we mentioned.
Vocabulary lists containing celibate
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.
See Examples For:
In jail, “he lives like a celibate saint,” said Bishnoi’s cousin, speaking from the family’s village.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
It stands to reason, then, that a film about Ann Lee, the founding “mother” of this 18th century celibate Christian sect, would be a musical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
Ultimately, Sam decided to be celibate and invest in their fantasy life with their partner.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2025
Some had started to feel that he was laying the groundwork to ultimately permit gay men to train for the priesthood, as long as they remained celibate like other priests.
From BBC ● May 27, 2024
Thus, St. Jerome assures us that when the clean animals entered the ark by sevens, and the unclean ones by pairs, the odd number typified the celibate, and the even the married condition.
From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole
It's also driven by the same sort of insecurity about masculinity that underlies the so-called Men's Rights Movement and the increasingly dangerous and self-destructive cult of self-described "involuntary celibates," or incels.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2021
Rodger belonged to a growing online community of men who identify as involuntary celibates, or “incels”.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 19, 2020
They also cannot remarry if their wives die, and must spend the rest of their priestly lives as celibates.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2020
Unlike Islamic State jihadists and white supremacists, incels — short for involuntary celibates — are not, as a group, preaching hatred by promising a path to redemption or salvation through violence.
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2019
His general tendency to pessimism and egoism would be sufficient alone to provoke an energetic protest against the abandonment of social power to celibates.
From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste
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.
