polygamous

adjective

po·​lyg·​a·​mous pə-ˈli-gə-məs 

1

a

: relating to or practicing polygamy

b

: having more than one mate at one time

baboons are polygamous

2

: bearing both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant

Examples of polygamous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The species in which only the females take on childcare also tend to be species that are polygamous, with the males trying to mate with many females. —Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025

According to the new study, in polygamous mammals with strong competition, males generally die earlier than females. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025

In polygamous mammals with strong competition for mates, the males generally die earlier than females. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Oct. 2025

The conversation comes after fans saw Kody inform Robyn that another woman expressed interest in joining the polygamous family in the Sister Wives season 20 trailer, which was released in August. —Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin & Greek; Medieval Latin polygamus, borrowed from Greek polýgamos "married several times," from poly- poly- + -gamos -gamous

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

polygamous

adjective

po·​lyg·​a·​mous pə-ˈlig-ə-məs 

1

: of or relating to marriage in which a spouse has more than one mate at one time

2

: having more than one mate at one time

polygamist

-məst

noun

polygamy

-mē

noun

Medical Definition

polygamous

adjective

po·​lyg·​a·​mous pə-ˈlig-ə-məs 

1

: relating to or practicing polygamy

2

: having more than one mate at one time