premarital

American

[pree-mar-i-tl] / priˈmær ɪ tl /

adjective

preceding marriage.

premarital British

/ priːˈmærɪtəl /

adjective

(esp of sexual relations) occurring before marriage Compare extramarital

"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 premarital

First recorded in 1885–90; pre- + marital

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.

When your husband was deciding to split his premarital assets, it was good of him to keep you in the loop.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

It is a significant change from the days when most meetings between young people were carefully managed by relatives with an eye to marriage, and any form of premarital romantic relations was off limits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

But there are many ways premarital debt can affect postmarital life.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2025

I love him, we’ve done good premarital counseling, and I think we have a solid chance of a long happy marriage, but I also believe in preventing problems when possible.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2023

Retreats for youth, premarital couples, parents and teen-agers, solo parents, senior citizens, Meeting members.

From Marriage Enrichment Retreats Story of a Quaker Project by Mace, D. R. (David Robert)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023