as in polyamory
the state or practice of being married to more than one person at the same time
Some cultures practice polygamy.
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Recent Examples of polygamy
More than 70 years ago, Arizona took an aggressive step to crack down on polygamy with a mass arrest in Colorado City whose effects are still felt today.
—
Jeremy Duda, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
In Libya, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the leader of the National Transitional Council, ended a ban on polygamy in his maiden speech to the country.
—Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2017
The Sister Wives star, 52, chronicles her journey within and away from Mormonism and polygamy in Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family and Finding Freedom, set to debut in September 2025.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The Brown family were members of the Apostolic United Brethren, a fundamentalist Mormon group that practices polygamy.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polygamy
Jeremy Duda, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
In Libya, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the leader of the National Transitional Council, ended a ban on polygamy in his maiden speech to the country.
—Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2017
The Sister Wives star, 52, chronicles her journey within and away from Mormonism and polygamy in Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family and Finding Freedom, set to debut in September 2025.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The Brown family were members of the Apostolic United Brethren, a fundamentalist Mormon group that practices polygamy.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polygamy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polygamy
Noun
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These young people write about loneliness and love, family ties and polyamory, contemporary life on the Navajo Nation, and a father-son duo intent on saving a failing firearms store in Arizona.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
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Ne-Yo has finally accepted that polyamory may be the better choice for his lifestyle.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Toni Heath Johnson has various felony convictions dating back to the 1980s, including forgery, credit card theft and bigamy.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
23 June 2025
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Not of the bigamy, nor of baby Patricia, born on April 20, 1953, in Brooklyn, and baptized at St. Patrick’s Church in Bay Ridge three months later.—
Sarah Weinman,
Rolling Stone,
1 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For generations, anthropologists have argued whether humans are evolved for monogamy or some other mating system, such as polygyny, polyandry or promiscuity.—
Nathan H. Lents,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Apr. 2025
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Seeking Brother Husband's Kenya gets real with a virtual stranger about her domestic arrangement in this Sunday's episode of the TLC polyandry series.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
Peoplemag,
21 Apr. 2023
Noun
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For generations, anthropologists have argued whether humans are evolved for monogamy or some other mating system, such as polygyny, polyandry or promiscuity.—
Nathan H. Lents,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Apr. 2025
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For generations, anthropologists have argued whether humans are evolved for monogamy or some other mating system, such as polygyny, polyandry or promiscuity.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polygamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polygamy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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