bedfellow

noun

bed·​fel·​low ˈbed-ˌfe-(ˌ)lō 

1

: one who shares a bed with another

2

: a person or thing closely associated with another : ally

political bedfellows

—often used in the phrase strange bedfellows to describe an unlikely alliance of people or things

Politics indeed makes strange bedfellows and on the issue of local regulation of pesticides, environmental and states' rights advocates have joined forces.

—Elena S. Rutrick

Polities and good architecture are strange bedfellows, but in Barcelona the marriage has worked.

—Cathleen McGuigan

Synonyms

• supporter
• ally

Examples of bedfellow in a Sentence

a child-welfare cause that has made bedfellows of activists who are normally on opposite ends of the political spectrum

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers say furry bedfellows can provide both positive and negative effects on sleep. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 9 July 2025

Advertisement The Big Soda lobby kicked into high gear to block New York’s request and was joined by its strange bedfellows alliance of anti-hunger groups and their advocates in Washington. —Arianna Huffington, Time, 25 June 2025

Icons keep company with unknowns; strange bedfellows abound. —Max Norman, New Yorker, 13 June 2025

Love and toxicity are hardly unfamiliar bedfellows. —Jane Ciabattari june 24, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bedfellow

• marshmallow
• morello
• othello
• schoolfellow
• cello
• fellow
• jello
• mellow
• melo
• velo
• portobello
• violoncello

Kids Definition

bedfellow

noun

bed·​fel·​low ˈbed-ˌfel-ō 

: one who shares a bed with another