married

American  

[mar-eed] / ˈmær id /

adjective

1. united in wedlock; wedded.

   married couples.

2. of or relating to marriage or married persons; connubial; conjugal.

   married happiness.

3. (of an antique) created from components of two or more authentic pieces.

4. interconnected or joined; united.

5. (of a family name) acquired through marriage.

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noun

1. Usually marrieds. married couples or married people.

   young marrieds moving into their first home.

married British  

/ ˈmærɪd /

adjective

1. having a husband or wife

2. joined in marriage

   a married couple

3. of or involving marriage or married persons

4. closely or intimately united

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noun

1. (usually plural) a married person (esp in the phrase young marrieds )

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marriedly
  adverb
• unmarried
  adjective
• well-married
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of married

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at marry ¹, -ed ²

Explanation

Married people are legally committed to each other — they're joined in marriage, or wedded. Even though you may feel emotionally committed to your mate, you need to legally tie the know to be considered married. A married couple has made an official, legal agreement to be partners. If your many brothers and sisters are all married, it means you have a lot of sisters- and brothers-in-law (the spouses of your siblings). You can also use married to describe things that have something to do with marriage: "Those two are the picture of married bliss." The Latin root of married is maritare, "to wed or to marry."

Example Sentences

If you intend to remain married, discuss with your husband the best strategy for claiming benefits.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026

With a $100,000 annual salary, you are in the 22% federal tax bracket for a married couple filing jointly.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026

Amodei and his sister Daniela, who is married to Karnofsky, later left OpenAI to co-found Anthropic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

I got out of the military in 2010, then met and married a man just as into MMA as I was.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2026

Because sixty happy years married to the same man, living in the same house, wasn’t just really good.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman