polygamy

1 of 2

noun

po·​lyg·​a·​my pə-ˈli-gə-mē 

1

: marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time compare polyandry, polygyny

2

: the state of being polygamous

polygamist

pə-ˈli-gə-mist 

noun

polygamize

pə-ˈli-gə-ˌmīz 

intransitive verb

polygamize

2 of 2

intransitive verb

po·​lyg·​a·​mize

variants also British polygamise

⸗ˈ⸗⸗ˌmīz

-ed/-ing/-s

: to practice polygamy

Examples of polygamy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Everyone’s favorite show about polygamy, Big Love, concluded its five-season run in 2011 with a major character death. —Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026

The fundamentalist group split from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after Mormons officially abandoned polygamy in 1890. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026

The Kimbanguist Church prohibits polygamy, which is socially accepted in Congo. —Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

The history of the thing is interesting but vague—a general shift towards monogamy started about three and a half million years ago, but most human societies (around 85% of them) have permitted polygamy too. —Eva Wiseman, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Late Latin polygamia "frequent marriage," borrowed from Greek polygamía, from polýgamos "married several times, polygamous" + -ia -y entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for polygamy

• bigamy

Medical Definition

polygamy

noun

po·​lyg·​a·​my -mē 

plural polygamies

: marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time compare polyandry, polygyny

Legal Definition

polygamy

noun

po·​lyg·​a·​my pə-ˈli-gə-mē 

: the offense of having several and specifically more than two spouses at one time compare bigamy

polygamous

-məs 

adjective