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

It was an awkward arranged marriage for Groening — and a “baptism by fire” for Emanuel and his cohort.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2025

He told us it was something of an arranged marriage, as his mother kept inviting Stella for dinner until eventually the penny dropped that he should take her out.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025

Ms Brella was "very excited" to move to the UK in April after an arranged marriage with Pankaj Lamba, her sister Sonia Dabas said.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 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

He never once mentioned the fact that I had run away, Fort Hare, or the arranged marriage that was not to be.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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