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marriage definition

mar·riage (mar′ij)

noun

  1. the state of being married; relation between spouses; married life; wedlock; matrimony
  2. the act of marrying; wedding
  3. the rite or form used in marrying
  4. any close or intimate union
  5. the king and queen of a suit, esp. as a meld in pinochle

Etymology: ME mariage < OFr < marier: see marry

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law marriage definition - legal

marriage Synonyms

marriage

n.

  1. The act of marrying

    wedding, espousal, spousal, nuptials, pledging, mating; see also ceremony 2, sacrament.

    Antonyms divorce*, separation*, annulment. *

  2. The state following marriage

    matrimony, conjugality, nuptial tie, nuptial knot, union, match, connubiality, wedlock, wedded state, wedded bliss, holy matrimony.

    Antonyms chastity*, bachelorhood, spinsterhood.

  3. A close union

    intimacy, compatibility, comradeship, alliance; see friendship 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

marriage Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • arrange: I had an arranged marriage, my parents were really very orthodox they were very strict we could never go out at all no.

Adjective modifier

  • heterosexual: This union of two male souls is the ideal upon which heterosexual marriage is modeled.

Modifies a noun

  • ceremony: What that indicates is there was a marriage ceremony.

Noun used with modifier

  • same-sex: A court agreed that the denial of the same-sex marriage was sound.

Preposition: of

  • convenience: The other side is that of two weak alliances which often appear little more than enforced ' marriages of convenience ' .

Preposition: from

  • sinking: You have to eliminate this word from your belief to stop your marriage from sinking.
marriage usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

marriage quotes

But if marriage be such a blessed state, how comes it, may you say, that there are so few happy marriages? Now in answer to this, is it not to be wondered that so few succeed, we should rather be surprized to find so manydo, considering how imprudently menengage, the motive they act by, and the very strange conduct they observe throughout.

-Astell, Mary

Marriage is not a house or even a tent it is before that, and colder.

-Atwood, Margaret Eleanor

Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.

-Austen,Jane

marriage quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"marriage." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/marriage>

APA Style

marriage. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/marriage

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