marriage

noun

ˈmer-ij How to pronounce marriage (audio)
Definition of marriagenext
1
as in match
a union representing a special kind of social and legal partnership between two people some religions consider marriage a sacrament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wedding
a ceremony in which two people are united in matrimony just a small group of family and friends have been invited to witness the marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for marriage
  1. match
  2. wedding
  3. matrimony
  4. relationship
  5. wedlock
Noun
  • Between the 2025 and 2026 seasons, the Roos installed a brand-new video board — just in time to host a watch party for what became a legendary Algeria-Austria World Cup match.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Inter Miami brought its MLS-leading team goals total to 68, and recorded its fifth clean sheet overall and first in 10 matches.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of match
Noun
  • Blake and Barbara White had to postpone their wedding and the events leading up to it near Destin, Florida, because of Hurricane Isaias.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The hotel has also hosted high-profile celebrations, including the 2023 wedding of Sofia Richie Grainge, daughter of musician Lionel Richie.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of wedding
Noun
  • Fireworks herald the World Cup, the Olympics, inaugurations, weddings, railroad openings, royal matrimony, saints, the Saints, the spring equinox, eclipses, the New Year, the Day of the Dead, the beginning of summer, the end of it.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In each of the portraits, his subjects are draped by the white veil, both a symbol of matrimony and silence.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of matrimony
Noun
  • Our family has forged stronger relationships because of life’s uncertainty, not in spite of it.
    — Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But domestic relationships are much more complicated than that.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of relationship
Noun
  • As explained in the couple’s recent YouTube video, having a baby out of wedlock was thought to be taboo in Britain at the time — especially in the three decades after World War II.
    — Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had asserted that Oyo left a young heir born out of wedlock, but Tooro’s committee looked beyond that in picking Kijanangoma.
    — Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of wedlock
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.

Browse Nearby Words

marred
marriage
marriageable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Marriage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marriage. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on marriage

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marriage

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All