arranged marriage

American  

[uh-reynjd mar-ij] / əˈreɪndʒd ˈmær ɪdʒ /

noun

arranged marriages plural

1. a marriage in which the bride and groom were chosen to marry each other by their parents or other relatives.

   Although arranged marriage is the cultural practice in India, it is no longer the only avenue available to young men and women.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• arranged marriages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of arranged marriage

First recorded in 1835–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arranged marriage

While Munna, who is now 19, managed to escape child marriage, the possibility of an arranged marriage being pushed for by her older sister's in-laws remains.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

But we soon learn it's Savita, the film's protagonist, waking from an impossible dream - her real life, like that of many Indian women caught in the tradition of arranged marriage, is the exact opposite.

From BBC ● May 28, 2025

It’s a comedy about a South Asian teen who rebels against her sister’s arranged marriage with some of the baddest martial arts moves ever performed in a sari.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2024

Some go further and seek to forbid all forms of dating, embracing a "courtship" model almost indistinguishable from arranged marriage.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2024

Gary was in the popular group but kind of shy and Zaheera was in the popular group but kind of shy, so his friends and her friends set them up together, like an arranged marriage.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah