adulterous

/ə'dʌltərəs/

Thân thiện

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Involving or characterized by adultery; not faithful to a spouse or partner: Describes a person who engages in sexual relations outside their marriage or committed relationship, or describes the relationship or act itself.
   • Involving illicit sexual relations: More broadly, it can describe any sexual activity considered improper or illicit according to social or moral norms, often implying secrecy and betrayal.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a person:
  • The novel's plot revolves around an adulterous husband whose secret life is eventually exposed.
  • She was labeled adulterous by the community after the affair became public.
• Describing a relationship or act:
  • They carried on an adulterous affair for years.
  • The king's adulterous behavior was a scandal at the court.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Legal and Social Context: The term often carries strong moral, legal, or religious condemnation. In some jurisdictions, adulterous conduct can be grounds for divorce.
• Literary and Formal Tone: The word is more common in formal, legal, or literary contexts than in casual conversation, where terms like "cheating" or "having an affair" are more frequent.
  • The politician's adulterous liaisons were detailed in the press. (Formal/Journalistic)
• "Adulterous" vs. "Extramarital": While both refer to relations outside marriage, adulterous strongly implies betrayal and violation of vows. "Extramarital" is a more neutral, descriptive term.

Variants and Related Words

• Adulterer (noun): A person who commits adultery.
  • The sermon condemned the adulterer.
• Adulteress (noun): A female who commits adultery. (Note: This gendered form is now often considered dated or sexist; "adulterer" is increasingly used for any gender.)
• Adultery (noun): The act or state of being adulterous; voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not their spouse.
  • He filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery.

Synonyms

• Unfaithful: Not loyal to a spouse or partner. (A more general synonym)
• Cheating: Informal term for being sexually unfaithful.
• Two-timing: Informal, implies deceitfully having a simultaneous relationship with two people.
• Philandering: (Often used for men) habitually engaging in casual sexual relationships, especially outside marriage.

Antonyms

• Faithful: Loyal and steadfast in affection or allegiance to a spouse or partner.
• Loyal: Giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance.
• Chaste: Abstaining from extramarital, or from all, sexual intercourse.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• While there is no common idiom using the exact word "adulterous," the concept is central to many phrases:
  • To commit adultery: The standard phrase for the act.

    • The law considered it a crime to commit adultery.
  • An affair of the heart: A euphemistic or literary way to describe a romantic, often adulterous, relationship.

    • Their affair of the heart ended tragically.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. not faithful to a spouse or lover
   • adulterous husbands and wives
   • a two-timing boyfriend
2. characterized by adultery
   • an adulterous relationship
   • extramarital affairs
   • the extracurricular activities of a philandering husband

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cheating
• two-timing
• extramarital
• extracurricular