conjugal
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of marriage.
conjugal vows.
- Synonyms:
- connubial, nuptial, matrimonial
-
pertaining to the relation between marriage partners.
- Synonyms:
- marital
adjective
Usage
What does conjugal mean? Conjugal means relating to marriage, but it is perhaps best known for its use in conjugal visit, in a which prisoner is allowed to visit privately with their spouse for the purpose of having sexual relations. Otherwise, conjugal is often used in legal or religious contexts in discussions about particular aspects of marriage. Example: Gary and Sam got married in 1990 and have been living in conjugal bliss ever since.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conjugal
1535–45; < Latin conjugālis, equivalent to con- con- + jug ( um ) yoke 1 + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
The adjective conjugal describes all husband-and-wife matters, so if someone who is married says, "Single people don't understand how I feel," you can be sure it's a conjugal situation. The word conjugal comes from the Latin word, conjux, meaning "husband, wife." You’ve no doubt heard of the term “conjugal visits,” to describe private visits between a prisoner and a spouse. But it can describe anything that happens between married people, such as conjugal obligations, which are the things you do to keep a marriage going, or just general conjugal, or married, life.
Vocabulary lists containing conjugal
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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.
More than a week later, 500 copies of the book, "The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos", were sold within an hour of being posted online.
From Reuters • May 27, 2022
Conjugal scrutiny is certainly to be expected, especially when there is the appearance of possible conflict.
From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2016
Conjugal visits are allowed in Peruvian prisons if couples register as common law partners, as the two lovebirds are.
From Newsweek • May 31, 2013
San Francisco's Free Bananas played the Fisher Green Stage, and the Conjugal Visitors, from Eugene, played under the canopied west entrance to the Center House; both were official Folklife acts.
From Seattle Times • May 29, 2010
Swedenborg, throughout his prose poem of "Conjugal Love," is a Platonist.
From Representative Men by Emerson, Ralph Waldo
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.
