arranged marriage

American

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

noun

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

arranged marriages

plural

Etymology

Origin of arranged marriage

First recorded in 1835–40

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.

See Examples For:

arranged marriage

The film is notable for the unflinching way it portrays what its lead actress calls the "very humiliating" experience of many young women, unlike other Indian movies about arranged marriage.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2025

Ms Dabas explained that her sister and Mr Lamba had entered into an arranged marriage, with a legal wedding held in August 2023.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2024

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

This wasn’t just an arranged marriage to Rishi; this was the rich fabric of history, stretched through time and space.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023