marital
American-
of or relating to marriage; conjugal; matrimonial.
marital vows; marital discord.
-
Archaic. of or relating to a husband.
adjective
-
of or relating to marriage
marital status
-
of or relating to a husband
Other Word Forms
- maritally adverb
- nonmarital adjective
- nonmaritally adverb
- postmarital adjective
Etymology
Origin of marital
1595–1605; < Latin marītālis of married people, derivative of marītus of marriage. See marry 1, -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective marital to describe something that relates to a marriage. You may envy the marital contentment of spouses who communicate well with each other. When you pronounce marital, put the accent on the first syllable and use the short i sound: "MAR i tul." Now you're ready to ask people, "What is your marital status?" They'll answer that they're single or married, or possibly engaged, widowed, divorced, or living as unmarried partners. Marital comes from Latin: maritalis, meaning "of or belonging to married people," and maritus, meaning "husband."
Vocabulary lists containing marital
100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Vocabulary for the Naturalization Interview
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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.
I spoke to the late-life lovebirds about their process of marital manuscript-making: the good, the not so good and the blackmailing.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
Review the laws in your state on the division of marital property and spousal support.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
You gave up your career to raise your stepdaughter, and you used marital funds to do that until they reached adulthood.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026
However, Jackson's later years would be punctuated by scandal, including revelations of marital infidelity and financial impropriety involving his son and political heir, Jesse Jackson Jr, who served as a congressman from Illinois.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
Chicago was a break in my journey, a resumption of my name, identity, and happy marital status.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
