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misalliance

American  
[mis-uh-lahy-uhns] / ˌmɪs əˈlaɪ əns /

noun

  1. an improper or incompatible association, especially in marriage; mésalliance.


misalliance British  
/ ˌmɪsəˈlaɪəns /

noun

  1. an unsuitable alliance or marriage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of misalliance

1730–40; mis- 1 + alliance, modeled on French mésalliance

Vocabulary lists containing misalliance

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:

Farber set the tragedy in a bleak Scottish no man’s land, where a mournful cello underscores a doleful marital misalliance.

From Washington Post Dec. 6, 2021

This misalliance was not helped when Johnson was here in September and said the French were making too much of the sub spat, noting “Donnez-moi un break” and telling them to “prenez un grip.”

From New York Times Nov. 20, 2021

Already determined to be an actress, Martin handed over the offspring of this misalliance — baby Larry — to her parents, who raised him.

From Washington Post Jul. 7, 2016

In life they would be a screeching misalliance.

From Time Magazine Archive

In 1533 his father married him to Catherine de’ Medici, from which match, as he said, Francis hoped to gain great advantage, even though it might be somewhat of a misalliance.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 "Helmont, Jean" to "Hernosand" by Various

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