celibate
Americannoun
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a person who abstains from sexual relations.
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a person who remains unmarried, especially for religious reasons.
adjective
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observing or pertaining to sexual abstention or a religious vow not to marry.
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not married.
noun
adjective
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unmarried, esp by vow
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abstaining from sexual intercourse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing celibate
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:
A meetinghouse stood at the center of every village created by the Shakers, the separatist and celibate Christian religious sect founded in the 18th century that was devoted to communal living and simple, functional design.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
It stands to reason, then, that a film about Ann Lee, the founding “mother” of this 18th century celibate Christian sect, would be a musical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
Ultimately, Sam decided to be celibate and invest in their fantasy life with their partner.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2025
Others pointed out that far more people were celibate for reasons that had nothing to do with not finding the right partner.
From Salon ● May 15, 2024
It was the Cluny monks who gave the Pope his chief support in the struggle to free the Church from lay investiture and simony and to enforce the ideal of a celibate clergy.
From A Source Book of Medi?val History Documents Illustrative of European Life and Institutions from the German Invasions to the Renaissance by Ogg, Frederic Austin
It's also driven by the same sort of insecurity about masculinity that underlies the so-called Men's Rights Movement and the increasingly dangerous and self-destructive cult of self-described "involuntary celibates," or incels.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2021
Rodger belonged to a growing online community of men who identify as involuntary celibates, or “incels”.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 19, 2020
They also cannot remarry if their wives die, and must spend the rest of their priestly lives as celibates.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2020
Unlike Islamic State jihadists and white supremacists, incels — short for involuntary celibates — are not, as a group, preaching hatred by promising a path to redemption or salvation through violence.
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2019
Among the Greeks, celibates were punished, and among the Romans they were taxed heavily.
From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
