nuptial
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to marriage or the marriage ceremony.
the nuptial day;
nuptial vows.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of mating or the mating season of animals.
nuptial behavior.
noun
adjective
-
relating to marriage; conjugal
nuptial vows
-
zoology of or relating to mating
the nuptial flight of a queen bee
Pronunciation
The pronunciations and , by analogy with such words as mutual and actual, are not considered standard.
Synonym Usage
See marriage.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nuptial
First recorded in 1480–90; ( Middle French ) from Latin nuptiālis, equivalent to nupti(ae) “marriage, wedding,” derivative of nūbere “(of a woman) to marry” + -ālis adjective suffix; cf. nubile
Explanation
You can describe something related to a wedding, or nuptials, using nuptial. You might go on a diet, getting ready for your nuptial day. After the wedding, you might experience nuptial bliss. It’s a little-known fact that zombies fear anything nuptial. The sight of wedding cakes, bridal processions, or spousal rites makes body parts fall away. Nuptial bliss turns the remaining parts to jelly. When the Zombie Army comes marching into your hometown, your best defense is to grab the nearest single girl or guy and find a minister. Just don’t forget to sign a prenuptial agreement: you don’t want to argue later about who gets the zombie artifacts.
Vocabulary lists containing nuptial
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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.
The Ancient Greek and Roman elite held multi-day nuptial feasts, a tradition that was carried into the Middle Ages when weddings served as important political and social transactions between countries and kingdoms.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2024
But the perfect wedding day almost didn’t come together for two families who traveled to the island for nuptial festivities that almost got derailed by Hurricane Ian’s landfall and aftermath.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2022
In the recent past, to which we continually flash back, a group of aging college friends go from nuptial to nuptial over the course of a summer, working out their individual romantic agendas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2022
The researchers even have evidence that suggests that all of these new pressures are causing changes in the chemistry of the glucose-averse male’s nuptial gift potentially so he can continue attracting females.
From New York Times ● May 27, 2022
Klaus sighed, and relinquished—a word which here means “gave to Count Olaf even though he didn’t want to”—the book on nuptial law.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
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.
