unmarriageableness
unmarriageableness (noun): The state or condition of being unsuitable for marriage, either due to personal qualities, circumstances, or legal/social barriers. This term is rare and formal, often used in sociological, legal, or historical contexts.
- (The condition of being unsuitable for marriage due to personal traits.)
- (The legal status of being ineligible for marriage due to age restrictions.)
- (The state of being considered unfit for remarriage.)
"Social unmarriageableness": A specific condition where societal norms or stigmas prevent a person from being considered a suitable spouse.
- Her career as an actress led to social unmarriageableness in conservative circles. (Social disapproval made her an unsuitable match.)
"Legal unmarriageableness": The state of being prohibited from marrying by law, such as due to close kinship or existing marriage.
- The court ruled that the siblings' unmarriageableness was based on consanguinity laws. (Legal prohibition due to blood relation.)
Unmarriageable (adj): Not suitable for marriage.
- He was considered unmarriageable because of his criminal record. (Not fit to be a husband.)
Marriageableness (n): The quality of being suitable for marriage.
- Her dowry increased her marriageableness in the eyes of suitors. (Her suitability as a bride.)
- Ineligibility for marriage: The state of not meeting the requirements to marry.
- Unfitness for wedlock: The condition of being unsuitable for the institution of marriage.
- Spinsterhood (historical, for women): The state of being unmarried, often implying unmarriageableness.
"Left on the shelf": An idiom describing someone (especially a woman) considered too old or undesirable to marry.
- After thirty, she was left on the shelf, facing social unmarriageableness. (Considered unfit for marriage due to age.)
"Beyond the pale of matrimony": Outside the acceptable limits of marriage.
- His scandalous behavior placed him beyond the pale of matrimony. (His actions made him unmarriageable.)