open marriage

noun

1. a marriage in which the partners agree that each is free to have sexual relationships with other partners.

open marriage

noun

1. a marriage in which the partners are free to pursue their own social and sexual lives

Word History and Origins

Origin of open marriage¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Now he wants an open marriage and says I own nothing.

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Her husband disappears for weeks on end, and Allen, or the character she is portraying, reluctantly accepts the conditions of an open marriage.

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Gaiman remains locked in a contentious custody battle with Palmer, with whom he once had an open marriage and divorced in 2022.

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Read: In “More,” a memoir, Molly Roden Winter recounts the highs and lows of juggling an open marriage with work and child care.

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Read: In “More,” a memoir, a woman in an open marriage navigates parenting, candor and sex.

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