What does married mean?
Married is an adjective describing someone who has entered a legally or socially recognized marriage, or something connected with marriage. It commonly appears before nouns such as couple, partner, life, and children, as in married couple or married life, and can also stand alone as a description of a person’s status. The term is neutral in register and is used in everyday conversation, formal writing, journalism, and historical contexts. When referring to a spouse’s status, the distinction between married and unmarried is important; a married person may also be divorced or widowed, whereas unmarried describes someone who has not entered marriage. Married is related to the verb marry and to words such as marriage, marital, and matrimony. Its meaning can sometimes extend beyond legal marriage to emphasize a committed or enduring marital relationship, especially in literary or cultural contexts.
adjectiveHaving entered a legally or socially recognized marriage; relating to marriage or to someone who has married.
- Having entered a legally or socially recognized marriage
- Relating to marriage or to people who have married
"They have been married for over thirty years."
"The married couple moved to a small apartment near the river."
"In the report, the researcher compared the experiences of married and unmarried adults."
Married reaches back to Latin maritare, 'to marry,' connecting modern marriage with the ancient idea of a husband and wife united as one household.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does married come from?
Married developed in Middle English as a form of marry, meaning to join in marriage or to become united as spouses. The verb marry came through Old French marier from Latin maritare, “to marry,” which was associated with maritus, “husband” or “married man.” The same Latin family produced related English words including marriage, marital, matrimony, and matrimonial. Over time, married became established as an adjective and as the past participle of marry.
How married is actually used
Married is a neutral and widely used adjective in formal and informal contexts. It can describe a person, a couple, or aspects of a shared married life; older and literary contexts may use it more broadly to mean united in marriage.
Easily confused with married
Married describes a person or relationship involving marriage, whereas marital means relating to marriage in general, especially to rights or duties between spouses.