wedlock

play

noun wed·lock \ ˈwed-ˌläk \

Definition of wedlock

:the state of being married :marriage, matrimony

— out of wedlock

:with the natural parents not legally married to each other

See wedlock defined for English-language learners

See wedlock defined for kids

Examples of wedlock in a Sentence

joined the happy couple in holy wedlock

Recent Examples of wedlock from the Web

Now that singlehood and out-of-wedlock childbirth have shed a degree of social stigma, the theory suggests, an increase in men’s incomes won’t revive norms that have already faded away.

— victor tan chen, The Atlantic, "America, Home of the Transactional Marriage," 20 Aug. 2017
Most never return, and the stigma associated with having a child out of wedlock means most men would never consider marrying these girls.

— stav ziv, Newsweek, "Showing Love Through Breast Ironing: Why Some Daughters Endure This Painful Practice to Appease Their Mothers," 3 Aug. 2017
Fewer than one in 10 kids were born out of wedlock; now it’s four in 10.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump is the disrupter-in-chief in an age of disruption," 13 July 2017
The proportion of out-of-wedlock births varied a great deal according to race and ethnicity.

— karen kaplan, latimes.com, "Americans keep having fewer babies as U.S. birthrates hit some record lows," 30 June 2017
Given their 12-year age difference, intercourse outside of wedlock would have been considered statutory rape.

— devin tomb, Good Housekeeping, "I Was Forced Into Marriage at Age 14," 22 June 2017
Many stigmas, like pre-marital sex or having children out of wedlock, are quickly disappearing.

— the tylt, cleveland.com, "Should we get rid of marriage?," 12 June 2017
Family life: Marriages are down; out-of-wedlock births are up.

— robert samuelson, Twin Cities, "Robert Samuelson: These trends outweigh any president," 11 June 2017
Today, 40 percent of children are born out of wedlock, up from 5 percent in 1960.

— lonnie shekhtman, The Christian Science Monitor, "Marriage can fight poverty – but how do you promote it?," 1 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of wedlock

Middle English wedlok, from Old English wedlāc marriage bond, from wedd pledge + -lāc, suffix denoting activity

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

wedlock Synonyms

Synonyms

conjugality, connubiality, match, matrimony, marriage

Near Antonyms

annulment, divorce, separation

WEDLOCK Defined for English Language Learners

wedlock

play

noun

Definition of wedlock for English Language Learners

: the state of being married

WEDLOCK Defined for Kids

wedlock

play

noun wed·lock \ ˈwed-ˌläk \

Definition of wedlock for Students

:marriage 1

Learn More about wedlock

See words that rhyme with wedlock Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wedlock Spanish Central: Translation of wedlock Nglish: Translation of wedlock for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show

wedlock

Definition of wedlock

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of wedlock in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wedlock from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wedlock

wedlock Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to WEDLOCK

Related Phrases

WEDLOCK Defined for English Language Learners

wedlock

Definition of wedlock for English Language Learners

WEDLOCK Defined for Kids

wedlock

Definition of wedlock for Students

Learn More about wedlock

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066