What does remarry mean?
Remarry means to marry again after an earlier marriage has ended. The word commonly describes a person who marries after divorce or after the death of a spouse, although its precise legal and biographical meaning can depend on context. It is more specific than marry, which describes entering a marriage without indicating that another marriage has taken place. Remarry often carries an emotional dimension: it can suggest renewal, hope, or a difficult adjustment to a new relationship. In ordinary conversation, the term is neutral, while in legal, historical, or biographical writing it may simply record a change in marital status. The related noun remarriage names the act or state of marrying again, and forms such as remarried and remarrying follow regular verb inflection.
verbTo marry again after a previous marriage has ended, especially after divorce or the death of a spouse.
- To marry again after a previous marriage has ended.
"After several years of being widowed, she decided to remarry and move forward with her life."
"He remarried in his early sixties and found happiness with a colleague from work."
"The novel follows a widow who remarries and tries to build a new life in a different city."
Remarry carries the layered meaning of beginning a new chapter after love, loss, or the end of a previous chapter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remarry come from?
Remarry is an English compound formed by combining the prefix re-, meaning again, with marry. The verb marry comes through Old French from Latin maritare, a word associated with marriage. The prefixed form developed in English to express marriage a second time, especially after a previous union ended through divorce or death.
Related word forms
How remarry is actually used
Remarry is neutral in tone and commonly refers either to remarriage after divorce or to remarriage after widowhood. In legal and biographical contexts, it may also imply that a previous spouse is still living.
Easily confused with remarry
Marry means to become legally or personally united in a marriage, while remarry specifically means to marry again after an earlier marriage has ended.