Definition of adultery Adultery

/ʌdʌˈltɚi/ - [udulteree] - a•dul•ter•y

We found 13 definitions of adultery from 7 different sources.

What does adultery mean?

Noun Plural: adulteries
adultery - extramarital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marriage relations; "adultery is often cited as grounds for divorce"
		criminal conversation, fornication
		extramarital sex, free love sexual intercourse between individuals who are not married to one another

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adultery (Noun)
Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse.

adultery (n.)
The unfaithfulness of a married person to the marriage bed; sexual intercourse by a married man with another than his wife, or voluntary sexual intercourse by a married woman with another than her husband.
adultery (n.)
Adulteration; corruption.
adultery (n.)
Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the seventh commandment.
adultery (n.)
Faithlessness in religion.
adultery (n.)
The fine and penalty imposed for the offense of adultery.
adultery (n.)
The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop.
adultery (n.)
Injury; degradation; ruin.

adultery
ad-ult′ėr-i, n. violation of the marriage-bed, whether one's own or another's: in Scripture applied loosely to unchastity generally.—n. Adult′erer, a man guilty of adultery:—fem. Adult′eress.—adj. Adult′erine, resulting from adultery: spurious.—n. the offspring of adultery.—v.t. and v.i. Adult′erise (arch.).—adj. Adult′erous, guilty of adultery. [O. Fr. avoutrie, avoutre, an adulterer—L. adulterum, prob. from ad, to, and alter, another. The modern form of the word is due to a later approximation to the Latin form.]

Adultery is a word used in religious texts and in laws. It applies to a married couple, and in the past meant that the man of the couple left his wife for another woman, usually to have sexual intercourse with that woman that is not his wife. Adultery usually comes with a heavy punishment (death by stoning). In most countries adultery is no longer a crime, but most people still see it as a bad thing. If a person who is married takes part in adultery, that person's husband or wife would usually have the right to be able to go to court to divorce that person.