espoused

American  

[ih-spouzd, -spousd] / ɪˈspaʊzd, -ˈspaʊsd /

adjective

1. embraced or adopted, as an idea, principle, or cause.

   There was an immediate negative reaction to his clearly espoused beliefs on the subject.

2. Archaic. married.

   Once while I was in medical school, my recently espoused wife was persuaded to come and see me do a post-mortem.

3. Archaic. engaged or betrothed.

   Espoused couples desiring to be married by the Ministerial Staff are required to complete the six-week preparation course.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of espouse.

Other Word Forms

• unespoused adjective

Etymology

Origin of espoused

espouse ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

He became frustrated by the policy of peaceful resistance to Belgrade's repression of ethnic Albanians espoused by the late Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Despite their past wariness of crypto, banks have long espoused the potential of the blockchain technology that underpins digital currencies to streamline their businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Mr Freeman had long espoused "sovereign citizen" views and had a well-documented hatred of authority.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

Shockingly, they found that in companies in which meritocracy was openly espoused as a core value, men were paid less than women in cases in which both genders had identical performance review evaluations.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

Ignatius lumbered over to the picket fence, abandoning the hopeless cause espoused by the wagon, and viewed the oil paintings and pastels and watercolors strung there.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• marital