extramarital
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of extramarital
Explanation
The word extramarital describes relationships that happen outside of a marriage, between two people who aren't married to each other. An extramarital affair can damage a marriage. The adjective extramarital is almost always used to describe a romantic relationship or encounter that happens between a married person and someone who is not the person's spouse. If a married man sneaks off to meet his secret girlfriend, you can say that the man is having an extramarital affair. In this case, the Latin prefix extra means "outside," and marital comes from the Latin maritalis, "of marriage or married people."
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.
SK Group shares have more than tripled in value since December 2015, when Chey publicly disclosed his extramarital affair.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary embarks on a series of extramarital affairs after indulging in romantic fiction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
For instance, Abraham Lincoln’s entry details his controversial suspension of habeas corpus, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s page covers both his graduate school plagiarism and his extramarital affairs.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2025
It then provided it with access to emails implying that it would soon be taken offline and replaced - and separate messages implying the engineer responsible for removing it was having an extramarital affair.
From BBC ● May 23, 2025
Women who claim their husbands are not doing their share of their housework or who want to put a stop to an extramarital affair bring the matter before a judge.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
