monogamy

noun

mo·​nog·​a·​my mə-ˈnä-gə-mē How to pronounce monogamy (audio)
1
a
: the state or practice of having only one sexual partner at a time
young couples who practice monogamy
b
: the state or custom of being married to only one person at a time
c
zoology : the condition or practice of having a single mate during a period of time
Monogamy is common among birds.
2
archaic : the practice of marrying only once during a lifetime

Examples of monogamy in a Sentence

young couples who practice monogamy Monogamy is common among birds.
Recent Examples on the Web Tomlinson began working on her new hour of material focusing on comedy about being single after many years of serial monogamy. Jason Zinoman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024 Now, Kody remains married to Robyn and recently shared his take on monogamy in an episode of Sister Wives: One on One. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 24 Dec. 2023 Both Taylors are prolific artists whose work resonates with broad swaths of people through personal stories, sometimes about ex-boyfriends Tomlinson began working on her new hour focusing on comedy about being single after many years of serial monogamy. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 However, the main tenet is that partners have an understanding that monogamy is not core to the relationship. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 29 Nov. 2023 Kody Brown sees a brighter future for Christine Brown in monogamy. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023 Ultimately, the two achieve happily stable monogamy, marry and move to the suburbs. Matt Stevens, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2023 To submit to monogamy would be to lose his louche appeal. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023 The film follows Shafqat (Chowdhury), a father of two adolescents and a loving husband, who is a firm believer in the ideals of monogamy but the winds of change take a big test of his ideologies. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monogamy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French monogamie, from Late Latin monogamia, from Greek, from monogamos monogamous, from mon- + gamos marriage, from gamein to marry

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of monogamy was in 1612

Dictionary Entries Near monogamy

Cite this Entry

“Monogamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monogamy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monogamy

noun
mo·​nog·​a·​my mə-ˈnäg-ə-mē How to pronounce monogamy (audio)
: marriage with only one person at a time
monogamous adjective

Medical Definition

monogamy

noun
mo·​nog·​a·​my -mē How to pronounce monogamy (audio)
plural monogamies
: the state or custom of being married to one person at a time or of having only one mate at a time
monogamous adjective
also monogamic
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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