Definition

1. Noun:
   • A lover, especially one in an adulterous relationship: A paramour is a person, typically a woman, who is involved in a romantic and sexual relationship with someone who is married to another person. It implies a secret or illicit affair.
   • A woman who cohabits with an important man: This specific usage refers to a mistress, a woman who lives with and is supported by a wealthy or powerful man to whom she is not married.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The scandal revealed that the minister had a paramour. (This means the minister had a secret lover.)
  • In the historical novel, the king's paramour wielded significant influence at court. (This refers to the king's mistress who lived with him.)
  • She discovered letters proving her husband had taken a paramour. (This indicates the husband had an illicit lover.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term paramour is formal, literary, and often carries a negative or judgmental connotation, implying the relationship is secret, illicit, or morally questionable. It is less commonly used in modern everyday speech, where words like "lover" or "mistress" are more frequent.
• Historically, it was often used to describe the mistress of a nobleman or king.
• While the reference definition specifies "a woman," in contemporary usage, paramour can technically refer to a lover of any gender, though its historical usage is often gendered.

Variants and Related Words

• Mistress (n): A woman who has a continuing sexual relationship with a man who is married to someone else. (This is a very close synonym, though "paramour" can sound more literary.)
• Lover (n): A partner in a sexual or romantic relationship outside of marriage. (This is a more general and neutral term.)
• Inamorata (n): A woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship. (A literary synonym, less focused on the illicit aspect.)

Synonyms

• Mistress
• Lover
• Fancy man/fancy woman (informal)
• Kept woman (specifically for a woman who is financially supported)

Idioms and Phrases

• To take a paramour: This is a formal/literary phrase meaning to enter into an illicit love affair.
  • Rumors spread that the duke had taken a paramour.

Noun

1. a woman who cohabits with an important man
2. a woman's lover