wedlock

noun

ˈwed-ˌläk How to pronounce wedlock (audio)
Definition of wedlocknext
as in marriage
a union representing a special kind of social and legal partnership between two people joined the happy couple in holy wedlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wedlock The dream comes true for Evelyn, who marries a wealthy surgeon living in New York; meanwhile, Maggie is living in shame back home, after becoming pregnant out of wedlock. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 1 July 2026 Wilde navigates the tonal shifts with authority, delivering surprises along the way, including an ending that somehow delivers hope for the institution of wedlock. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026 Some House Republicans though argued the measure amounted to government interference, prevented the formation of stable families and would allow babies to be born out of wedlock. — Emma Murphy, Oklahoman, 7 May 2026 The government argued that the Salvadoran constitution had eliminated legal distinctions between children born in or out of wedlock, meaning that deriving citizenship from his mother was not enough. — Albinson Linares, NBC news, 6 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wedlock

Browse Nearby Words

wedging
wedlock
wedlocks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wedlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wedlock. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wedlock

Nglish: Translation of wedlock for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All