polygamous

adjective

po·​lyg·​a·​mous pə-ˈli-gə-məs 

1

a

: relating to or practicing polygamy

b

: having more than one mate at one time

baboons are polygamous

2

: bearing both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant

Examples of polygamous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He is still baffled by the polygamous, fickle nature of American sports fandom. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 May 2026

Skunks are polygamous, and male skunks travel up to 5 miles during mating season looking for love with as many potential mates as possible. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026

Harems also varied from family to family; while some arrangements were polygamous, other harems were merely private living spaces shared by a man’s female relatives. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026

Are quantum particles polygamous? —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin & Greek; Medieval Latin polygamus, borrowed from Greek polýgamos "married several times," from poly- poly- + -gamos -gamous

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

polygamous

adjective

po·​lyg·​a·​mous pə-ˈlig-ə-məs 

1

: of or relating to marriage in which a spouse has more than one mate at one time

2

: having more than one mate at one time

polygamist

-məst

noun

polygamy

-mē

noun

Medical Definition

polygamous

adjective

po·​lyg·​a·​mous pə-ˈlig-ə-məs 

1

: relating to or practicing polygamy

2

: having more than one mate at one time