unmarried

adjective

un·​mar·​ried ˌən-ˈmer-ēd How to pronounce unmarried (audio)
-ˈma-rēd
: not married:
a
: not now or previously married
b
: being divorced or widowed
unmarried noun

Examples of unmarried in a Sentence

an unmarried couple who are living together a girl who swore she'd remain unmarried for her whole life
Recent Examples on the Web The 32-year-old Canadian was an unmarried woman from a family of wealth and privilege. Jack Kresnak, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2024 Advertisement The ranks of the unhappy included demographic groups that Democrats consider key parts of their electoral base: minority voters, young voters and unmarried women. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2023 This piece also highlights how unmarried women are often the most socially and politically engaged members of society, which reflects my own experience volunteering during my single years. Clare Egan, Longreads, 13 Feb. 2024 There has been a dramatic rise in births to unmarried mothers: almost half of all babies born in the U.S. in 2019, up from eighteen per cent in 1980. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 More than 1,100 unmarried women froze their eggs in 2022 at the Cha Medical Group, South Korea’s largest fertility clinic chain, almost double the number in 2019. Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 About 36% of U.S. adults 65 and older report being single (unmarried, not living with a partner and not in a committed romantic relationship), compared to 23% of those ages 30 to 49 and 28% of those ages 50 to 64, according to Pew Research Center. The Indianapolis Star, 4 Jan. 2024 When unmarried mothers turned toward the success sequence, their odds of living in poverty dropped substantially. Angela Rachidi, National Review, 8 Jan. 2024 As a result, for tax year 2023, an unmarried filer with taxable income of $95,000 will have a top rate of 22%, down from 24% for the same amount of income in 2022. Tanza Loudenback, wsj.com, 9 Nov. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unmarried was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near unmarried

Cite this Entry

“Unmarried.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmarried. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unmarried

adjective
un·​mar·​ried ˌən-ˈmar-ēd How to pronounce unmarried (audio)
: not married:
a
: not now or previously married
b
: being divorced or widowed

More from Merriam-Webster on unmarried

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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