de facto relationship
Unmarried committed couple
A de facto relationship is a domestic partnership where two people live together as a couple without being legally married.
The term appears most often in Australian and New Zealand legal contexts, where such relationships carry specific rights and obligations: They'd been in a de facto relationship for seven years before splitting up.
The Latin phrase means "in fact" or "in practice"—the relationship exists in reality even without formal recognition.
- common-lawLegal status through custom
- common law marriageUnion by cohabitation, not ceremony
- cohabitationDwelling together unmarried
- partnerOne who shares activity
- unmarriedNot legally wed
domestic · living together · live-in partner · spouse · next of kin · commitment · trial separation · intimacy · shared · household · couple · legal · recognition · split · assets · children · joint custody · property
de facto relationshipmarriage
Formal union between partners
legal marriage · civil marriage · matrimony · wedlock · civil union
de facto relationshipsinglehood
Unmarried state
celibacy · living alone · casual dating · estrangement · separation
de facto relationshipcasual dating
Non-exclusive romantic involvement
fling · hookup · one-night stand · friends with benefits · situationship
facto, fact, facts, factual, factually, factor, factors, factory, factories