infidelity

play

noun in·fi·del·i·ty \ ˌin-fə-ˈde-lə-tē , -(ˌ)fī- \

Definition of infidelity

plural infidelities

1 :lack of belief in a religion

2 a :unfaithfulness to a moral obligation :disloyalty

b :the act or fact of having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone other than one's husband, wife, or partner

See infidelity defined for English-language learners

See infidelity defined for kids

Examples of infidelity in a Sentence

She was convinced that her husband was guilty of infidelity.
He has admitted to a number of marital infidelities.

Recent Examples of infidelity from the Web

Reliable statistics on infidelity are hard to come by as there are few incentives for candour and definitions vary.

— catherine cusick, Longreads, "Is Joss Whedon a Bad Feminist? A Reading List," 23 Aug. 2017
In a city full of competition — dueling academics at Yale, striving actresses at Long Wharf, rival street toughs, and the town's fair share of infidelity, double-dealing, misguided youth and disturbed or even occult outliers — noir is everywhere.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Amy Bloom Edits Short-Story Compilation About New Haven's Dark Side," 7 Aug. 2017
While Bey and Jay had been keeping a super low public profile for most of June, the rapper dropped his new and extremely candid apology album 4:44, which detailed his infidelity and later absolution.

— lilian min, Redbook, "Beyoncé and JAY-Z Twins' Birth Certificates Finally Share Some Birth Details," 20 July 2017
Lady Macbeth Is a Brilliant, Macabre Period Drama—David Sims delights in William Oldroyd’s debut film that tackles murder and infidelity in rural Victorian England.

— the editors, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic’s Week in Culture," 14 July 2017
Landline,’’ a comedy about infidelity that takes place in the ’90s.

— interview by ana marie cox, New York Times, "Jenny Slate Hates Being Oversimplified," 12 July 2017
JAY-Z's new album 4:44 has been popularly heralded as a response to Beyoncé's landmark fifth album Lemonade, but in particularly it's been pored over for its references to relationship infidelity.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Beyoncé Approved Every Song on JAY-Z's New Album, According to His Producer," 3 July 2017
Just as a documentary about her husband’s infidelities aired, a lithe and leggy Diana floated into a Serpentine Gallery benefit wearing a body-conscious cocktail dress by Christina Stambolian.

— alexandra gurvitch, Vogue, "Princess Diana Off-Duty: 5 Ways to Get Her Sloane Ranger Style," 1 July 2017
In 2016, Beyoncé released her album, Lemonade, a sprawling, deeply personal masterpiece that allegedly detailed her husband Jay Z's infidelity.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Jay Z References 'Stillborns' and Cheating on Beyoncé on His New Album '4:44'," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infidelity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of infidelity

15th century

infidelity Synonyms

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

Learn More about infidelity

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for infidelity Spanish Central: Translation of infidelity Nglish: Translation of infidelity for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of infidelity for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up infidelity? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

infidelity

Definition of infidelity

Examples of infidelity in a Sentence

Recent Examples of infidelity from the Web

First Known Use of infidelity

infidelity Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Learn More about infidelity

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

anathematize

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

True or False?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066

infidelity

Definition of infidelity

Explore M-W

Examples of infidelity in a Sentence

Recent Examples of infidelity from the Web

First Known Use of infidelity

infidelity Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Learn More about infidelity

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066