What does marital mean?
Marital is an adjective meaning connected with marriage or with the relationship between spouses. It is especially common in legal and financial language, where it appears in expressions such as “marital status,” “marital assets,” “marital property,” and “marital dispute.” The word can also describe the emotional or practical side of a marriage, as in “marital problems” or “marital tension.” It should not usually be used simply to mean “married”; for that broad sense, “married” is more natural. Marital is related etymologically to such words as matrimonial and matrimony, all of which concern the institution or condition of marriage. Because the term often appears in legal and official contexts, it can sound formal or technical, although it remains standard in ordinary English. It is also distinct from maternal, which refers to a mother or the relationship between a mother and her child.
adjectiveRelating to marriage or to the relationship between married people. It is especially used in legal, financial, and administrative contexts.
- Relating to marriage, especially to the legal, financial, or personal relationship between spouses.
"The court considered several factors in the division of the couple's marital assets."
"Their marital difficulties began after they moved to a new city."
"The form asks applicants to state their marital status."
Marital belongs to the language of relationships: it describes the legal and personal life that exists within a marriage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does marital come from?
Marital comes through French from Latin marītālis, an adjective derived from marītus, meaning “married man” or “husband.” The Latin family of marītus also underlies words connected with marriage and married life, including matrimonial, matrimony, and matrimonious. The English adjective has retained its long-established sense of relating specifically to marriage or spouses.
Related word forms
How marital is actually used
The term is common in legal, financial, and administrative language. In general usage, it usually describes marriage or a married couple rather than functioning as a simple equivalent of “married,” as in “a marital couple.”
Easily confused with marital
Marital relates to marriage or a married couple, whereas maternal relates to a mother or the mother-child relationship.