married off
Sent to wed
Married off describes arranging someone's marriage, often with implications of haste, convenience, or parental control rather than romantic choice.
The passive construction suggests the person being married had limited agency: She was married off to a wealthy merchant at sixteen.
Parents marry off daughters; families marry off sons to consolidate wealth or status.
The phrase carries slightly old-fashioned or critical overtones, evoking arranged marriages or treating marriage as a transaction.
- matchmakingArranging romantic connections
- social climbingSeeking higher status
- old moneyLong-established family fortune
- dowryMarital property transfer
- compatibilityMutual suitability between things
personal agency · free will · kinship ties · inheritance rights · family honor · family obligation · consent education · betrothal · child bride · prenuptial agreements · tribal customs · wedding customs · emotional bonds · ancient rituals · courtship · legal guardianship · property settlements · parental authority