serial monogamy

American  

noun

1. a form of monogamy characterized by several successive, short-term marriages over the course of a lifetime.

---

serial monogamy British  

noun

1. the practice of having a number of long-term romantic or sexual partners in succession

---

Etymology

Origin of serial monogamy

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

"Humans have a range of partnerships that create conditions for a mix of full and half-siblings with strong parental investment, from serial monogamy to stable polygamy."

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

That first relationship established a pattern of serial monogamy, where if someone touched my shoulder I’d fall in love with them for three years until they dumped me.

From The Guardian • May 19, 2019

Polyamory is complex enough and time-consuming enough that it will likely never overshadow serial monogamy, Sheff said.

From Scientific American • Feb. 14, 2013

His jokes about his serial monogamy endeared him to viewers, but you don't rack up three divorces by being a harmless sweetie.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dychtwald cites the late anthropologist Margaret Mead as a pioneer of the kind of serial monogamy that may become popular in the next century.

From Time Magazine Archive