companionate marriage

American  

noun

1. a form of marriage in which the partners agree not to have children and can be divorced by mutual consent, leaving neither spouse legally responsible for the financial welfare of the other.

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Etymology

Origin of companionate marriage

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

“The idea of companionate marriage and love became a part of the calculus of marriage, and Valentine’s Day cards became a part of courtship,” she says.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023

“Does it have to be through companionate marriage? Do you have to have an emotional connection with this particular person?”

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2019

And what is the idea of romantic companionate marriage, in all its crackpot “till death us do part” absolutism, if not a theory of everything?

From Slate • Nov. 6, 2014

But plenty of Armstrong’s readers would love a companionate marriage that meshed work and life seamlessly, and her separation may dash those dreams.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2012

Some felt that Bishop Furse's reference to companionate marriage was "a discourteous slap against Judge Lindsey in his home town."

From Time Magazine Archive