marriages
Formal spousal bonds
Marriages is the plural of marriage—the formal union of two people as partners in a relationship, typically recognized legally or religiously.
The word covers both the institution and specific instances: Their marriages lasted decades, She performed three marriages that afternoon.
Marriages can also describe close unions between things: marriages of convenience, the marriage of form and function.
Marriage rite and feast
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- receptionAct of receiving guests
- dowryMarital property transfer
- brideWoman getting married
groom · matchmaking · trousseau · mehndi · ketubah · handfasting · betrothal · procession
Joining into one
- contractEnforceable written agreement
- licenseFormal grant of permission
- certificateFormal written attestation
- registrationFormal recording of participation
civil · vows · officiant · witness · spouse · dissolution · annulment · prenuptial
Shared business arrangement
- commitmentFirm pledge to act
- companionshipState of having company
- intimacyEmotional closeness between people
- fidelityLoyalty or exactness
devotion · bond · trust · communication · compatibility · longevity · anniversary · honeymoon
Corporate combination
- allianceFormal union of parties
- fusionJoining into unity
- blendCombine into mixture
- combinationJoining of multiple elements
joining · pairing · coupling · convergence · synthesis · unification · integration · melding
Multiple concurrent spouses
- polyandryOne female, several mates
- multipleConsisting of many parts
- consecutiveFollowing in unbroken sequence
- serialOccurring in ordered succession
blended · stepfamily · successive · second · third · previous · subsequent · former
Arranger of romantic pairings
- familiesRelated people living together
- horoscopeZodiac-based fortune telling
- introductionPreliminary section or presentation
- approvalFavorable opinion given
negotiation · alliance · suitability · background · caste · prospects · meeting · proposal
wedding
Marriage rite and feast
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- receptionAct of receiving guests
- dowryMarital property transfer
bride · groom · matchmaking · trousseau · mehndi · ketubah · handfasting · betrothal · procession · feast
union
Joining into one
- contractEnforceable written agreement
- licenseFormal grant of permission
- certificateFormal written attestation
registration · civil · vows · officiant · witness · spouse · dissolution · annulment · prenuptial · jurisdiction
partnership
Shared business arrangement
- commitmentFirm pledge to act
- companionshipState of having company
- intimacyEmotional closeness between people
fidelity · devotion · bond · trust · communication · compatibility · longevity · anniversary · honeymoon · cohabitation
merger
Corporate combination
combination · joining · pairing · coupling · convergence · synthesis · unification · integration · melding · amalgamation
polygamy
Multiple concurrent spouses
- polyandryOne female, several mates
- multipleConsisting of many parts
- consecutiveFollowing in unbroken sequence
serial · blended · stepfamily · successive · second · third · previous · subsequent · former · ex-spouse
matchmaker
Arranger of romantic pairings
- familiesRelated people living together
- horoscopeZodiac-based fortune telling
- introductionPreliminary section or presentation
approval · negotiation · alliance · suitability · background · caste · prospects · meeting · proposal · consent
- celebritycelebs, stardom, A-list, A-listers, movie stars
- parish recordsbaptisms, parish registers, burials, christenings, baptism records
- church lifechurch attendance, worship service, prayer group, youth group, church music
- First LadiesMartha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt
- Ancient MediterraneanGreek influence, treaties, alliances, colonization, conquests
- genealogyfamily trees, family history, descendants, ancestors, ancestry tracing
marriagesdivorces
Legal ends to marriages
annulments · separations · dissolutions · splits · breakups
marriagesdivisions
Separate portions of something
separations · partings · ruptures · schisms · disunions
marriagesbachelorhoods
States of being unwed
spinsterhood · singlehood · celibacy · solitude · independence
- shotgun marriageCompelled wedding due to pregnancy
- marriage vowsPledges exchanged during ceremonies
- marriage proposalOffer of matrimony
- marriage licenseLegal authorization to wed
- marriage certificateLegal proof of wedlock
- marriage counselingTherapy for troubled relationships
marriage, remarriage, marriageable, marriage equality, marriageability, premarriage