philanderer

noun

phi·​lan·​der·​er fə-ˈlan-dər-ər How to pronounce philanderer (audio)
plural philanderers
disapproving
: a man who has sexual relations with many women
especially : a man who is unfaithful to his wife or partner
… on a realistic level King is an incorrigible philanderer who deserts his gentle wife … Louise Westling
[Florenz] Ziegfeld's private life was messy. He was an outrageous philanderer who at one point kept a mistress in the same hotel he lived in with Anna Held. Alicia Metcalf Miller
Until then, public officials who were philanderers or alcoholics … pretty much operated with immunity from disclosure so long as their professional performance was unaffected. Tom Goldstein

Examples of philanderer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His father, Irving, who worked as an electrician at an aerospace company, was a charming philanderer with a gambling problem. Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024 Treat Williams as Paley’s husband — the CBS chief executive William S. Paley who, written as a good-hearted philanderer, comes off better than just about anyone else — is fun to watch. Mike Hale, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 In the affidavit, filed Friday in New York and obtained by PEOPLE, an actress referred to as Jane Doe claims that Brand exposed himself to her before assaulting her in a bathroom on the set of the 2011 movie, Arthur, which starred Brand as a wealthy alcoholic philanderer. Shania Russell, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2023 The network moved the setting of Houston’s story to Northeast Washington, D.C., and softened some of the dynamics between Gibbs’s character and her counterparts — Mary’s husband, Lester Jenkins, (Hal Williams) had been a philanderer in the play but became a dedicated family man on the series. Bethonie Butler, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023 Dominic blames his father, Bert (F. Murray Abraham), a philanderer in his own right, for neglecting to teach him how to treat women well. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2022 Her father was an alcoholic and not fully stable, her late husband a philanderer who hurt and embarrassed her. Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2020 Vain philanderers are perhaps even more common than fastidious captains. David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Apr. 2023 Matt’s has to do with his father, a philanderer whose infidelities led his parents to split. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'philanderer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of philanderer was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near philanderer

Cite this Entry

“Philanderer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philanderer. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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