polygamy

noun

po·​lyg·​a·​my pə-ˈli-gə-mē 

1

: marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time compare polyandry, polygyny

2

: the state of being polygamous

polygamist

pə-ˈli-gə-mist 

noun

polygamize

pə-ˈli-gə-ˌmīz 

intransitive verb

Examples of polygamy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Married men and women having an affair ranked dead last in a 2022 Gallup poll of 19 behaviors, below polygamy and cloning humans, with 89% of Americans saying the affair is morally wrong. —Joanna Allhands, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2025

His maternal grandmother raised him and his older brother, not entrusting them to one of his father’s three other wives (polygamy is common is South Sudanese culture). —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025

Idaho State Police issued an Amber Alert for two teens whose mother and authorities believe are headed out of state to meet a religious group known for practicing polygamy. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 June 2025

His maternal grandmother raised him and his older brother, not entrusting them to one of his father’s three other wives (polygamy is common is South Sudanese culture). —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin polygamia "frequent marriage," borrowed from Greek polygamía, from polýgamos "married several times, polygamous" + -ia -y entry 2

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for polygamy

• bigamy

Medical Definition

polygamy

noun

po·​lyg·​a·​my -mē 

plural polygamies

: marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time compare polyandry, polygyny

Legal Definition

polygamy

noun

po·​lyg·​a·​my pə-ˈli-gə-mē 

: the offense of having several and specifically more than two spouses at one time compare bigamy

polygamous

-məs 

adjective