adulterous

Adulterous is used to describe a person who engages in or a relationship that constitutes adultery—a consensual sexual relationship or encounter between someone who’s married and a person they’re not married to (who may or may not be married to someone else).

In other words, adultery can be between two people who are both married to other people, or between a married person and a nonmarried person. Typically, for something to be considered adulterous, at least one of the partners must be married.

On the other hand, similar words like cheating, infidelity, and unfaithfulness can be used regardless of whether either person is married—they simply refer to a (usually sexual) relationship or encounter between people when one or both of them is in a committed relationship with someone else.

When it happens with someone other than one’s spouse, a long-term relationship (often called an affair), a single sexual encounter, or anything in between can be considered adulterous. In some cases, a relationship may even be considered adulterous when it’s nonsexual but intimate (this is sometimes called an emotional affair).

The words adultery and adulterous are especially used in a religious context, in which adultery is often considered a sin. The word adultery is also sometimes used in a legal context, such as during divorce proceedings.

Adultery is associated with a considerable amount of stigma. The word adulterous is always used negatively and implies a critical judgment of such actions.

Someone who participates in adultery can be called an adulterer. The word adulteress specifically refers to a woman who has engaged in adultery. (It has been more common throughout history for women to be called adulterous and to be blamed and punished for adulterous relationships than men.)

Example: Just because it only happened once doesn’t mean it wasn’t adulterous.

The first records of the word adulterous come from the 1400s. Its base word, adultery, ultimately derives from the Latin verb adulterāre, meaning “to defile.” The same word is the basis of the English verb adulterate, meaning “to debase” or “to make impure.” Adultery involves adults, but the word adult is based on a different root.

“Thou shalt not commit adultery” is one of the Ten Commandments, and adultery is specifically prohibited by multiple religions and even some laws. In the past, adultery was sometimes used in a more general way to refer to any type of sexual activity considered sinful. Today, however, calling a person or a relationship adulterous typically means that at least one of the partners is married.

What are some other forms related to adulterous?

• adultery (noun)

What are some synonyms for adulterous?

• unfaithful

What are some words that share a root or word element with adulterous? 

• adulteress
• adulterer
• adulterate

What are some words that often get used in discussing adulterous?

• affair
• relationship
• spouse
• husband
• wife
• marriage
• infidelity
• cheating
• sin
• sex
• extramarital
• illicit
• divorce

What are some words adulterous may be commonly confused with?

• adulterated

Adulterous is typically used in a judgmental way.

much enjoyed "Shirley" w/ brilliant performance by Elisabeth Moss. but so strange, Shirley Jackson childless!–& without a hint of the monster-mother who made her life so unhappy. the only villain is the adulterous husband Stanley Edgar Hyman, exasperating but appealing.

— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) June 6, 2020

Escaping my adulterous alcoholic husband I drove away in my pajamas. https://t.co/OjE8q4Spi7

— 🌺Leslie…Who Pd Kavanaughs Debts 🧘🏼‍♀️☸️🥋🦋💋 (@lotusflowerom) June 29, 2020

Subsequently, the next time Beatrice encountered Dante, she refused to greet him, thinking that he was engaged in an adulterous affair with the screen woman. Dante is distraught. His blessedness at being greeted by Beatrice has now been stripped from him. What can he do?

— Sylvain Reynard (@sylvainreynard) July 4, 2020