matrimony
Americannoun
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matrimonies
plural
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the state of being married; marriage.
He was married in 1870 and lived in matrimony 12 years.
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the rite, ceremony, or sacrament of marriage.
The priest has united them in the bonds of holy matrimony.
noun
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the state or condition of being married
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the ceremony or sacrament of marriage
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a card game in which the king and queen together are a winning combination
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such a combination
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of matrimony
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin mātrimōnium wedlock. See matri-, -mony
Explanation
Matrimony is just a fancy way of saying "marriage." When a couple ties the knot, they are engaging in matrimony. You can describe the actual wedding celebration as matrimony, and also the state of being married, although it's a formal word most often used in documents and in the words of the ceremony. The Latin word for matrimony is matrimonium, which comes from combining mater, "mother," with the suffix monium, "action or condition." In the old days, matrimony was basically the same thing as making a woman into a wife and mother.
Vocabulary lists containing matrimony
The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr
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It's All in the Family
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Silas Marner
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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.
See Examples For:
You marry a person who love-bombed you into matrimony but turned out to be a bad actor?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Courtesy of Trader Joe’s Irish supplier, the Garlic Butter Irish Potato Chips unite Ireland’s most celebrated spud-themed delicacies in holy matrimony.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
Rabbi Joshua Skoff announced the winner in the anniversary derby, a couple celebrating 55 years of matrimony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
And it’s not difficult to envision several schools seeking refuge in the Big 12, prompting the strangest of bedfellows to join together in unholy matrimony.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2024
I did not want to be associated with the issue of a campesina who had had no respect for the holy banns of matrimony or for the good name of Mirabal.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
I have heard of him; he has a mighty stroke at matrimonies, and mumbles them over as fast, as if he were teaching us to forget them all the while.
From The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 04 by Sir Walter Scott
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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.
