nuptial
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to marriage or the marriage ceremony.
the nuptial day;
nuptial vows.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of mating or the mating season of animals.
nuptial behavior.
noun
adjective
-
relating to marriage; conjugal
nuptial vows
-
zoology of or relating to mating
the nuptial flight of a queen bee
Pronunciation
The pronunciations and , by analogy with such words as mutual and actual, are not considered standard.
Related Words
See marriage.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nuptial
First recorded in 1480–90; ( Middle French ) from Latin nuptiālis, equivalent to nupti(ae) “marriage, wedding,” derivative of nūbere “(of a woman) to marry” + -ālis adjective suffix; cf. nubile
Explanation
You can describe something related to a wedding, or nuptials, using nuptial. You might go on a diet, getting ready for your nuptial day. After the wedding, you might experience nuptial bliss. It’s a little-known fact that zombies fear anything nuptial. The sight of wedding cakes, bridal processions, or spousal rites makes body parts fall away. Nuptial bliss turns the remaining parts to jelly. When the Zombie Army comes marching into your hometown, your best defense is to grab the nearest single girl or guy and find a minister. Just don’t forget to sign a prenuptial agreement: you don’t want to argue later about who gets the zombie artifacts.
Vocabulary lists containing nuptial
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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.
Nuptial pads are raised, keratinized areas—like a sandpaper patch—on the male's hands that allow him to hold onto the female's slippery skin during mating.
From National Geographic • Mar. 24, 2018
Nuptial Exclusion In a live chat, Prudie advises a man whose daughter doesn’t want her stepmom or half siblings at her wedding.
From Slate • Nov. 19, 2012
It contained liturgical changes in the Nuptial Mass authorized by Pope Paul VI after the Ecumenical Council, but, for the most part, still not widely used in the U.S.
From Time Magazine Archive
On certain solemn occasions, such as Nuptial Masses, laymen would be able to receive Communion in the form of wine as well as bread.
From Time Magazine Archive
There were scraps of paper on which he had written his evil ideas in an illegible scrawl, lying in messy piles on top of the copy of Nuptial Law he had taken away from Klaus.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
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.
