marriage

noun

ˈmer-ij How to pronounce marriage (audio)
Definition of marriagenext
1
as in match
a union representing a special kind of social and legal partnership between two people some religions consider marriage a sacrament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wedding
a ceremony in which two people are united in matrimony just a small group of family and friends have been invited to witness the marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for marriage
  1. match
  2. wedding
  3. matrimony
  4. relationship
  5. wedlock
Noun
  • On Monday, Williams looked to be moving well in a first set that was understandably sluggish considering her lack of recent matches.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • There will be live music, entertainment and even wrestling matches from Deep South Wrestling.
    — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of match
Noun
  • Professional skydivers Mike Missroon and Megan Walsh kicked off their wedding celebration by jumping out of a plane from 14,000 feet alongside members of their wedding party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The wedding was held at a private estate situated on a cliff high above the ocean, and the couple worked with event planner Mindy Weiss to execute the entire weekend.
    — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of wedding
Noun
  • Fireworks herald the World Cup, the Olympics, inaugurations, weddings, railroad openings, royal matrimony, saints, the Saints, the spring equinox, eclipses, the New Year, the Day of the Dead, the beginning of summer, the end of it.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In each of the portraits, his subjects are draped by the white veil, both a symbol of matrimony and silence.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of matrimony
Noun
  • But last year, their relationship blew up amid a turf war over CPS employees.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As time passes and questions remain unanswered, the film shows how grief connects, relationships change, and new perspectives emerge.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of relationship
Noun
  • Norah and Magdalen learn that they were technically born out of wedlock and, because of a legitimacy codicil in their father’s will, are therefore unable to receive their parents’ money.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
  • The mother and child homes, under the auspices of the Catholic Church, sought to isolate women who had children out of wedlock from the rest of society.
    — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Definition of wedlock
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

marred
marriage
marriageable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Marriage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marriage. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on marriage

Nglish: Translation of marriage for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marriage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All