What does exogamic mean?
Exogamic is an adjective describing anything related to exogamy — the social rule or practice of marrying outside one's own defined group, whether that group is a clan, village, caste, or lineage. Commonly used in anthropology and sociology, it appears most often in discussions of kinship systems: a society may have exogamic customs requiring partners to be drawn from neighbouring communities, which historically served to build alliances, widen trade networks, and avoid close-kin unions. The word is neutral and technical in tone, functioning as a near-synonym of 'exogamous', though it is somewhat less frequent in modern usage. Its natural opposite is 'endogamic', describing marriage within the group, as historically practised in some royal lineages and caste systems. For readers encountering it in ethnographic texts, exogamic signals that the writer is describing formal marriage rules rather than individual romantic preference.
adjectiveRelating to or characterized by exogamy, the custom of marrying or seeking a mate outside one's own social group, clan, or community.
- Relating to or characterized by exogamy — marriage or mating outside one's own group, clan, or community.
"Many traditional societies maintained exogamic rules that required men to take wives from neighbouring clans."
"The tribe's exogamic traditions ensured alliances were continually forged with neighbouring villages."
"Anthropologists have documented exogamic rules in societies on nearly every continent."
In many exogamic cultures, your future spouse had to come from outside your clan — marrying 'too close to home' wasn't just frowned upon, it was forbidden.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exogamic
Exogamic derives from the Greek elements 'exo-', meaning 'outside', and '-gamy', from 'gamos', meaning 'marriage'. The underlying noun, exogamy, was coined in the 19th century by the Scottish anthropologist John Ferguson McLennan, who used it in his studies of primitive marriage. The word belongs to a family of anthropological terms built on '-gamy', including monogamy, polygamy, and endogamy.
Related word forms
How exogamic is actually used
A chiefly academic term found in anthropology and sociology; in everyday writing, 'exogamous' is slightly more common. It carries no emotional connotation and is typically descriptive rather than evaluative.
Easily confused with exogamic
Endogamic describes marriage within one's own group, the exact opposite of exogamic marriage outside the group.