nonmarital
Not legally wed
Nonmarital describes relationships, conduct, or circumstances outside of marriage.
The term appears in legal and social contexts: nonmarital cohabitation, nonmarital children, nonmarital sex.
It's neutral where "illegitimate" or "out of wedlock" might carry judgment.
Dwelling together unmarried
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- significant otherRomantic life partner
- companionOne who keeps company
- partnerOne who shares activity
boyfriend · girlfriend · unwed · romance · intimacy · commitment · coupling · live-in
Unwed man's status
- spinsterhoodUnwed woman's status
- singlenessState of being alone
- unattachedNot joined or connected
- soloPerformance by one
unpartnered · uncommitted · solitary · single life · eligible · available · dating · celibacy
Dwelling together unmarried
- domestic partnershipNonmarital cohabiting relationship
- civil unionLegal spousal alternative
- common-lawLegal status through custom
- palimonyPost-separation payments, unwed couples
paternity · custody · child support · visitation · legitimacy · inheritance · taxation · joint tenancy
Freedom from external control
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- choiceAct of selecting
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
individualism · privacy · personal autonomy · self-sufficiency · liberation · unencumbered · flexibility · self-governance
cohabitation
Dwelling together unmarried
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- significant otherRomantic life partner
- companionOne who keeps company
partner · boyfriend · girlfriend · unwed · romance · intimacy · commitment · coupling · live-in · domestic
bachelorhood
Unwed man's status
- spinsterhoodUnwed woman's status
- singlenessState of being alone
- unattachedNot joined or connected
solo · unpartnered · uncommitted · solitary · single life · eligible · available · dating · celibacy · spinster
cohabitation
Dwelling together unmarried
- domestic partnershipNonmarital cohabiting relationship
- civil unionLegal spousal alternative
- common-lawLegal status through custom
palimony · paternity · custody · child support · visitation · legitimacy · inheritance · taxation · joint tenancy · beneficiary
independence
Freedom from external control
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- choiceAct of selecting
self-determination · individualism · privacy · personal autonomy · self-sufficiency · liberation · unencumbered · flexibility · self-governance · voluntary
marriage, marry, unmarried, marital, matrimonial, extramarital, premarital, postmarital