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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adultery
As China’s economy has grown, so too has its incidence of adultery.
—
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July, accusing her husband of adultery.
—Lauren McGaughy, ProPublica, 17 Sep. 2025
In addition, Swazi law has a different definition of adultery for men and for women.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adultery
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July, accusing her husband of adultery.
—Lauren McGaughy, ProPublica, 17 Sep. 2025
In addition, Swazi law has a different definition of adultery for men and for women.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adultery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adultery
Noun
-
Emotional cheating involves starting a relationship with someone.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The Justice Department's most high-profile Clean Air Act criminal case related to emissions cheating was Volkswagen.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Blind spots, poor image quality, and limited video retention undermine investigations and allow misconduct to go undetected or unprosecuted.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Progressives also have endorsed the reversal of qualified immunity protections, which shield agents from misconduct lawsuits.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One of the more memorable moments between the two was the reveal of Cooke's infidelity during the premiere of season 3, which aired in March 2019.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Kristy alleged infidelity as the reason for the pair’s split, per court records previously obtained by PEOPLE.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adultery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adultery. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
