as in lovers
literary
a person with whom someone is having a romantic or sexual relationship and especially a secret or improper relationship
Her husband found a love letter from her paramour.
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Recent Examples of paramours
Clark and Floyd had initially bonded over the show’s namesake app, a means for married people to meet discreet new partners; Floyd, too, had met up with potential paramours like Modern Love (Peter Sarsgaard), the online pseudonym of a local roller rink owner.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
During the course of the film, Grace deals with life, love (including a pair of paramours from the same band), professional disappointments, and the fallout of a horrible experience from her past.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026
Other unconfirmed paramours include A$AP Rocky, multiple NBA players, and, most recently, Bad Bunny.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The record is filled with sexy dance-pop bangers and finds Khalid — for the first time in his career — using he/him pronouns when discussing paramours in his lyrics.
—Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Once again, the Western canon’s most famous paramours have traded soliloquies for pointe shoes.
—Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Apr. 2023
Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
During the course of the film, Grace deals with life, love (including a pair of paramours from the same band), professional disappointments, and the fallout of a horrible experience from her past.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026
Other unconfirmed paramours include A$AP Rocky, multiple NBA players, and, most recently, Bad Bunny.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The record is filled with sexy dance-pop bangers and finds Khalid — for the first time in his career — using he/him pronouns when discussing paramours in his lyrics.
—Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Once again, the Western canon’s most famous paramours have traded soliloquies for pointe shoes.
—Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramours
Noun
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For more advice on keeping your pets happy, healthy and safe through every season, visit USA TODAY Pets, your destination for expert advice, heartwarming stories and the latest news for animal lovers.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
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Some, like Chloe’s triad, are all lovers.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There was a bit of screaming by girls, but the boyfriends who went along wanted to listen to the band.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
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Heated Rivalry breakouts Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have parlayed their overnight fame into voiceover work for the audio erotica app Quinn, also home to dirty talk from internet boyfriends like Christopher Briney and Andrew Scott.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Coaches can cheat on their wives with NFL insiders, players can beat their wives and girlfriends, and teams will still keep them around.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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There were also groups of girlfriends escaping New York for the summer and young couples.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At the end of regret-flow plotlines, husbands tend to beg their wives for forgiveness by dropping to their knees.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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There’s an almost-friendship-ending rift over husbands (Brent Thiessen is Cee Cee’s, a cool-guy theater director; Ben Jacoby is Bertie’s, a rich jerk) that feels deeply dated and, in the context of the women’s tell-each-other-everything friendship, just plain weird.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The two men, who were flanked by their wives, chatted during the parade, which was capped with a flyover of four F-35 military jets.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Buckle up and read on for a complete guide to the wives and girlfriends of Formula 1 racers in the 2026 season.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramours. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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