What does monogamist mean?
A monogamist is someone who has, or promotes, a relationship involving only one spouse or partner at a time. The word is most often encountered in discussions of marriage, family structure, and evolutionary biology, including the study of animals that form stable pair bonds. It can describe either a particular person or, in phrases such as “a monogamist species,” a population whose members typically have one partner at a time. The term should not be confused with serial monogamy, in which a person has one partner at a time but may form several such relationships over a lifetime. Although monogamist is accurate and useful in technical writing, the adjective monogamous is generally more common in everyday speech. Its principal contrast is with a polygamist, someone whose relationships involve more than one spouse or partner simultaneously.
nounA monogamist is a person who has, or advocates, a relationship with only one spouse or partner at a time. The term can also refer to an animal characterized by forming exclusive pair bonds.
- A person who has only one spouse or partner at a time, especially within the context of marriage, family, or evolutionary biology.
- A person who advocates or supports monogamy as a social, legal, or moral principle.
"The study compared the reproductive success of monogamists with that of polygamous males."
"Many bird species are monogamists, with the males and females sharing parental duties."
"The campaigner was a committed monogamist who argued that the law should recognize only one spouse at a time."
The standard plural is formed by adding -s.
"Several monogamists contributed to the discussion of pair bonding."
One partner at a time is monogamy; one partner for life is the stronger promise often intended by the word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does monogamist come from?
The English word was formed from monogamy and the suffix -ist, meaning a person associated with the practice or advocacy of something. The underlying elements combine Greek monos, meaning “single” or “alone,” and gamos, meaning “marriage.” Related English forms such as monogamous and monogamy preserve the same Greek foundation, while polygamy and polygamous use the contrasting prefix poly-, meaning “many.”
Related word forms
How monogamist is actually used
The term is relatively uncommon in general discussion, where monogamous or one-partner partner is often more natural. In biological and historical writing, it may distinguish exclusive pair bonding from relationships involving multiple simultaneous partners. In American pronunciation, the stressed vowel is commonly pronounced as /æ/.
Easily confused with monogamist
A monogamist has one spouse or partner at a time, whereas a polygamist has more than one spouse or partner at the same time.
A monogamist is the noun for a person who practices or supports monogamy, while monogamous is the adjective describing such a person, relationship, or practice.