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adultery definition

adul·tery (ə dul′tər ē)

noun pl. adulteries -·ter·ies

voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and a woman not his wife, or between a married woman and a man not her husband

Etymology: L adulterium < adulter: see adulterate

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law adultery definition - legal

adultery Synonyms

adultery

n.

unlicensed intercourse, infidelity, cuckoldry, extramarital affair; see fornication.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

adultery Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • commit: People no longer commit adultery; they fool around or have a fling.

Preposition: as

  • ground: The absences of a consummation requirement and of adultery as a specific ground of dissolution do open up some possibilities but are not unproblematic.

Adjective modifier

  • committeth: And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

Modifies a noun

  • case: If a third person is mentioned, as in an adultery case, that person is called the co- respondent.

Possessives

  • wife: Or did he connive with his wife's adultery to further his own career?

Preposition: with

  • woman: On 14 April last year, Alex divorced him on the grounds of admitted adultery with another woman.
adultery usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

adultery quotes

Mr Sammler with his screwy visions! He saw the increasing triumph of EnlightenmentöLiberty, Equality, Adultery!

-Bellow, Saul

And God spake all these words, saying,Iamthe L thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that isinheaven above, or that isin the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the L thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thoushalt nottakethename of the L thy God invain; for the L will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember thesabbath day, to keep it holy. Six daysthou shalt labour and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the L thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the L made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the L blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long uponthelandwhichtheL thy Godgiveththee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

-Bible (Old Testament)

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time. Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you. That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

-Bible (NewTestament)

adultery quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"adultery." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/adultery>

APA Style

adultery. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/adultery

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