Definition

Noun: A marriage of convenience is a marriage entered into primarily for practical, financial, social, or political benefits, rather than for reasons of love, affection, or romantic commitment between the partners.

Usage

This term is used to describe a marital union where the primary motivation is expediency. It often implies a strategic arrangement where both parties gain something tangible (like citizenship, money, social status, or political alliance) from the partnership. The relationship is typically characterized by a lack of romantic love, though it may involve mutual respect or a business-like agreement.

Examples

• The historical alliance between the two kingdoms was sealed by a marriage of convenience between the prince and the princess.
• She entered into a marriage of convenience to obtain a green card and stay in the country legally.
• Critics accused the two companies' merger of being little more than a corporate marriage of convenience.

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can be used metaphorically beyond literal marriages to describe any alliance, partnership, or merger between people, organizations, or countries that is formed for purely practical or temporary advantage.
  • Example: The coalition government was a fragile marriage of convenience between two ideologically opposed parties.

Variants and Related Words

• Marriage (n): The formal union of two people as partners in a personal relationship. This is the broader, neutral term.
• Love match (n): A marriage based primarily on romantic love. This is often considered the opposite of a marriage of convenience.
• Arranged marriage (n): A marriage planned and agreed upon by the families of the couple. While some arranged marriages may develop into love matches, others can be marriages of convenience.

Synonyms

• Pragmatic marriage
• Marriage of expediency
• Strategic alliance (in a metaphorical sense)
• Contract marriage

Idioms and Phrases

• A marriage of convenience itself functions as a common idiomatic phrase in English.
• Shotgun wedding (n): A forced or rushed marriage, often due to an unplanned pregnancy. This differs from a marriage of convenience, which is usually a calculated choice, not a forced one.

Noun

1. a marriage for expediency rather than love