as in cheating
a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
adultery is the cause of many divorces
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adultery
The Texas attorney general beat a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges and reached a deal to end a long-running securities fraud case but now faces a contentious divorce over allegations of adultery.
—
Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.
—Lianna Norman, Florida Times-Union, 16 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Both Paxton’s baggage and his history of using his office to troll Democrats is a central feature in the Republican primary, which has devolved into a barrage of personal attacks of betrayal, adultery, and corruption.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Ken Paxton, a Republican running for the Senate, denied the adultery allegations.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adultery
Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.
—Lianna Norman, Florida Times-Union, 16 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Both Paxton’s baggage and his history of using his office to troll Democrats is a central feature in the Republican primary, which has devolved into a barrage of personal attacks of betrayal, adultery, and corruption.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Ken Paxton, a Republican running for the Senate, denied the adultery allegations.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adultery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adultery
Noun
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Some companies initially prohibited candidates from using AI during tests to prevent cheating.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
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In-person classes can still maintain some degree of rigor, and cheating can be reduced to zero as long as all assignments are done in the classroom.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
26 May 2026
Noun
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She was also convicted of first-degree official misconduct, failure to comply with an order from the Secretary of State and violation of duty − all misdemeanor charges.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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And while not every improper payment reflects criminal misconduct, the magnitude of questionable spending points to deep structural weaknesses in how the program is administered.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Allegations of infidelity have followed Attorney General Ken Paxton while on the campaign trail.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
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Ruth Wilson played Alison Bailey for four seasons on The Affair, Showtime's steamy drama about marital infidelity and its surprisingly deadly consequences for two couples.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adultery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adultery. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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