Adultery Meaning
/əˈdʌltəɹi/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry
nounLewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the sixth/seventh commandment; sinful sexual behavior as a category.
Sentence Examples
According to many religions, adultery is a crime.
The crime of adultery was abolished in 1947.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In their culture, committing ____ is considered a serious betrayal of one's spouse.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The politician's career was ruined after he was accused of ____.
Word Origin & History
With change of suffix, from the Old French adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), a learnèd borrowing from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the inherited Old French forms avouterie or aoulterie, while keeping its suffix. Compare French adultère (“adultery”). Displaced Old English ǣwbryċe. Not related to adult.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"So also that copulation which in one City is Matrimony, in another will be judged Adultery."
— 1651, Thomas Hobbes, De Cive:
"Under modern statutory law, some courts hold that the unmarried participant isn't guilty of adultery (that only the married participant is)"
— 2009, Garner's Modern American Usage, page 22:
"Ironically, the detergent industry-sponsored "soap operas" that are central to modern afternoon television programming promise (mostly) female viewers both relief from drudgery and escape into the dramatic, crisis-filled on-air world of (laundryless) marriages, adulteries, and other relationships."
— 2011, Elizabeth Abbott, A History of Marriage:
"And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 3:9:
"[…] you might wrest the Caduceus out of my hand, to the adultery and spoil of Nature […]"
— 1616, Ben Jonson, “Mercury Vindicated from the Alchemists”, in Thomas Hodgkin, editor, The Works of Ben Jonson, published 1692, page 378:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In their culture, committing ____ is considered a serious betrayal of one's spouse.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The politician's career was ruined after he was accused of ____.