1 adulteries | Definition of adulteries
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adultery

noun
adul·​tery | \ ə-ˈdəl-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce adultery (audio) \
plural adulteries

Definition of adultery

: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than that person's current spouse or partner also : an act of adultery
Other Words from adultery Synonyms & Antonyms What’s the difference between adultery and fornication? Example Sentences Learn More about adultery

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What’s the difference between adultery and fornication?

In case you were wondering, the words adultery and adult are not etymologically related (in other words, adultery didn’t grow out of adult in the way that punditry grew out of pundit). Although both words come from Latin and share the same first five letters, adultery is from adulterāre (“to pollute, defile, commit adultery”), a word formed ultimately from the Latin elements ad- “to, near” and alter “other.” English adult comes from adultus, which is the past participle of the Latin word adolescere (“to grow up”).

In legal use there is a difference between adultery and fornication. Adultery is only used when at least one of the parties involved (either male or female) is married, whereas fornication may be used to describe two people who are unmarried (to each other or anyone else) engaging in consensual sexual intercourse.

Examples of adultery in a Sentence

He found out that his wife had committed adultery. She accused her husband of adultery.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Rhonda DeWine, when reached Friday by The Enquirer, declined to comment on the divorce filing or allegations of adultery. — Jackie Borchardt, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine's wife files for divorce, cites adultery; DeWine laments 'political gossip.'," 23 Aug. 2019 The last, to Darrien Earle, was a particularly nasty split that became fodder for the tabloids with accusations of mental abuse, adultery, and feuds over property, large and small. — Royal Ford, BostonGlobe.com, "Auto executive Lee Iacocca, who rescued Chrysler and helped launch the Ford Mustang, dies at 94," 3 July 2019 Stories of divorce, adultery and illicit affairs were a mainstay of the press in the roaring 1920s, and questions surrounding paternity testing became integral parts of these stories. — Nara B. Milanich, Time, "Paternity Testing Had a Long History Before Today’s DNA Kits. The Science Hasn’t Always Matched the Hype," 10 June 2019 In the military, adultery is a crime; all claims are investigated. — CBS News, "NCIS probe of U.S. Marine's attempted murder in Kuwait reveals a conspiracy of secrets and lies," 5 June 2019 Allegations of adultery—both his and hers—met him at both ends. — Ben Widdicombe, Town & Country, "Billion Dollar Divorces: What Happens When the Super Wealthy Risk Everything for Love on the Down-Low," 10 Apr. 2019 Along with stoning, the new law calls for amputation and other violent penalties for other crimes like theft and adultery. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Ellen DeGeneres Calls On Fans to Boycott These Famous Hotels," 3 Apr. 2019 And yet, for every celebrity adultery story, there are very likely a zillion more that stay hidden under the covers, relationships between consenting adults that don't involve heartbreak, love children, or TMZ. — Marcia Desanctis, Town & Country, "Mark Sanford, Act II," 14 Feb. 2013 Cromwell, eager to please his royal master, produced what passed for evidence that Anne was guilty of adultery, which was regarded officially as treason. — Allan Massie, WSJ, "‘Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life’ Review: The King’s Fixer," 2 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adultery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of adultery

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for adultery

Middle English adultrye, adultery, alteration (conformed to Latin adulterium) of avoutrie, advoutrie, alteration (with addition of suffix -ie -y entry 2) of avoutre, borrowed from Anglo-French avulteire, avouteire, going back to Latin adulterium, from adulterāre "to defile by adultery, commit adultery with, pollute" + -ium deverbal noun suffix — more at adulterate entry 1

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More Definitions for adultery

adultery

noun
How to pronounce adultery (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of adultery

: sex between a married person and someone who is not that person's wife or husband

See the full definition for adultery in the English Language Learners Dictionary

adultery

noun
adul·​tery | \ ə-ˈdəl-tə-rē\

Legal Definition of adultery

: voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband also : the crime of adultery — compare fornication

Other Words from adultery

adulterer \ ə-​ˈdəl-​tə-​rər How to pronounce adulterer (audio) \ noun
adulteress \ -​tə-​rəs How to pronounce adulteress (audio) \ noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on adultery

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adultery

Spanish Central: Translation of adultery

Nglish: Translation of adultery for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of adultery for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about adultery

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