celibate

American  

[sel-uh-bit, -beyt] / ˈsɛl ə bɪt, -ˌbeɪt /

noun

celibates plural

1. a person who abstains from sexual relations.

2. a person who remains unmarried, especially for religious reasons.

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adjective

1. observing or pertaining to sexual abstention or a religious vow not to marry.

2. not married.

celibate British  

/ ˈsɛlɪbɪt /

noun

1. a person who is unmarried, esp one who has taken a religious vow of chastity

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adjective

1. unmarried, esp by vow

2. abstaining from sexual intercourse

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• celibacy
  noun
• noncelibate
  adjective
• uncelibate
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• celibates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of celibate

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin caelib- (stem of caelebs ) “unmarried” + -ate ¹

Explanation

A person who refrains from being sexually active is celibate. "They dated for three years in high school but committed to staying celibate until marriage — something they were grateful for after breaking up and marrying others when they got older. While celibate comes from a 17th-century Latin term for "unmarried," today it's used for all people who don't engage in sexual activity. Priests and nuns vow to remain celibate as part of their religious commitments, and many youth groups and religious organizations promote staying celibate until marriage. As a noun, a celibate refers to one who practices celibacy — like the priests and nuns we mentioned.

Related Words

• chaste