Usage
What does monogamous mean? Monogamous means having only one spouse, one sexual partner, or (in the case of animals) one mate. Monogamous is used to describe people and animals that practice monogamy or to describe their relationships or practices. The word monogamy most technically refers to the state or practice of being married to only one person at a time. It is also commonly used in a more general way to refer to the state of being in a romantic or sexual relationship with only one person at a time. Less commonly, monogamy can mean the practice of being married only once throughout one’s life. In the study of animals, monogamy refers to the practice of having only one mate. A monogamous person can be called a monogamist. The term can also be applied to a person who advocates for monogamy. Example: Monogamy may be traditional in our modern society, but monogamous relationships haven’t always been the norm in every culture.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monogamous
First recorded in 1760–70; from Late Latin monogamus, from Greek monógamos “marrying only once,” equivalent to mono- + -gamous
Compare meaning
How does monogamous compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adjective monogamous to describe a person or animal who has only one mate. Beavers are one of only a few mammals that are truly monogamous, raising their young and living with a single mate. There are many cultures in the world that aren't typically monogamous, meaning that men may have more than one wife or women more than one husband. However, most western, industrialized countries have made being monogamous the only culturally acceptable choice, and most American kids grow up imagining they'll marry one person and stay with that husband or wife until death. Monogamous comes from the Greek word monogamos, "marrying only once."
Vocabulary lists containing monogamous
What If It's Us
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Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
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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.
Monogamous MSM will no longer be automatically excluded.
From Science Magazine • May 17, 2023
Monogamous people may be worrying less about their love lives in the time of coronavirus.
From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2020
Monogamous marriage has, at least in industrialized societies, historically been the socially optimal marriage arrangement, in that it produces children with higher levels of human capital.
From Slate • Aug. 14, 2018
Monogamous marriage, by its very conditions . . . forces the two contracting parties into an intimacy that is too persistent and unmitigated; they are in contact at too many points, and too steadily.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2016
Monogamous marriage became, from the start, an object of material speculation.
From Woman under socialism by De Leon, Daniel
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.
