Definition and pronunciation
adulteress — noun: a married woman who has sex with someone who is not her spouse; used in legal, journalistic, and religious contexts.
Pronunciation: /əˈdʌl.tə.rɪs/.
Easy explanation
An adulteress is a married woman who cheats on her spouse. Many writers today avoid this gendered label and say unfaithful spouse or partner instead.
Part of speech and grammar
- Countable noun: an adulteress; two adulteresses.
- Word family: adultery (act), adulterous (adjective), adulterer (gender-neutral/masculine counterpart), adulterously (adverb—rare).
- Typical frames: alleged adulteress; named as adulteress in a petition; accused adulteress.
Register and tone
Neutral-to-formal but can sound old-fashioned or moralizing. In modern reporting or counseling, gender-neutral language (unfaithful spouse/partner) is often preferred.
Connection to sexuality
Direct. The term labels consensual sexual infidelity within marriage. It does not describe crimes lacking consent; those should be named specifically (sexual assault, rape).
Common collocations
alleged adulteress; confessed adulteress; notorious adulteress; repentant adulteress; adulteress in a divorce case; branded an adulteress; adulteress and adulterer (paired labels)
Idioms and set phrases
- caught in adultery — set legal/religious phrasing in older texts.
- name and shame an adulteress — tabloid/legal language (sensational tone).
Prepositions and nuance
- adulteress in [case/petition] — where the label appears.
- adulteress with [person] — archaic/legalistic way to name the third party.
- adulteress against [spouse/vows] — rare; emphasizes betrayal.
Meaning doesn’t shift much with prepositions; they mainly anchor the label to documents or people.
Word comparisons
- adulteress vs adulterer — same role, different gender marking; many prefer gender-neutral terms.
- adulteress vs cheater — cheater is everyday and can include nonsexual deceit.
- adulteress vs paramour — paramour is the outside partner, not the married person.
- adulteress vs fornicator — fornicator historically means premarital sex between unmarried people.
- adulteress vs unfaithful spouse/partner — neutral, non-gendered alternatives.
Real-life examples
- The filing named a coworker as the adulteress and cited hotel records.
- Some jurisdictions no longer use the term; documents say unfaithful spouse or party to an extramarital affair.
- A biography examines how the label “adulteress” shaped public opinion more than the facts did.
Sample sentences
- The court declined to label her an adulteress due to lack of evidence.
- Headlines called her an adulteress; the paper later used neutral wording.
- The novel follows an alleged adulteress navigating stigma and privacy.
- Counselors avoid the term and discuss an extramarital affair in neutral language.
- He admitted to adultery, but reporters avoided naming a specific “adulteress.”
Synonyms
unfaithful spouse, unfaithful wife, cheating spouse, cheating wife, two-timer, faithless spouse, faithless wife
Antonyms
faithful spouse, faithful wife, loyal partner, monogamist, devoted spouse, chaste spouse
Related terms
adultery, adulterous, adulterer, affair, infidelity, betrayal, paramour, co-respondent, divorce, separation, reconciliation, open relationship, consensual non-monogamy, marital vows
Notes and etiquette
Use precise, non-gendered language when possible. Distinguish consensual adultery (a breach of commitment) from non-consensual offenses, which require exact legal terms. Avoid pejorative labels unless quoting historically and explain context.
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