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 of bedfellow

• 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

At first glance, documentaries and artificial intelligence are not natural bedfellows. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026

But aerial bombardment makes for strange bedfellows among the bombed. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026

But then, in 2013, she was cast as Zoe Barnes, the snoopy reporter who becomes strange bedfellows with Frank Underwood on House of Cards. —Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 11 Mar. 2026

Now, those advocates count the city’s last major professional sports franchise — whose messy divorce with Oakland helped tank owner John Fisher’s reputation among residents — as an unusual bedfellow. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026

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