celibacy
noun
cel·i·ba·cy
ˈse-lə-bə-sē 
1
: the state of not being married
2
a
: abstention from sexual intercourse
b
: abstention by vow from marriage
priestly celibacy
Examples of celibacy in a Sentence
a widower who has maintained absolute celibacy since the death of his wife
Recent Examples on the Web
Bumble apologizes for ad about celibacy More employees are cheating on workplace drug tests.
—
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 May 2024
The overwhelmingly negative response to the campaign pushed Bumble to issue an apology on May 13, acknowledging the many valid reasons that move someone towards celibacy: restrictions on reproductive rights, recovering from trauma or abuse, or existing as asexual.
—Maria Yagoda, TIME, 15 May 2024
Dating app Bumble is in a scramble to remove a series of ads arguing that celibacy is not the solution to women’s dating problems after it was called out on social media.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 May 2024
The company faced swift backlash across social media from users who condemned the ads for delegitimizing celibacy as a valid personal choice.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 14 May 2024
Many people have different definitions of the limitations of celibacy.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
The bishops urged radical change: Grant priestly powers to married men, breaking with the bedrock tenet of clerical celibacy, and increase the reach of the cloth.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 17 Feb. 2024
Differences also emerged on maintaining priestly celibacy, an issue of deep importance to Catholics in remote regions where clerics are in short supply.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2023
In the original myth, Medusa is a human woman who takes a vow of celibacy out of devotion to Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2023
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 May 2024
The overwhelmingly negative response to the campaign pushed Bumble to issue an apology on May 13, acknowledging the many valid reasons that move someone towards celibacy: restrictions on reproductive rights, recovering from trauma or abuse, or existing as asexual.
—Maria Yagoda, TIME, 15 May 2024
Dating app Bumble is in a scramble to remove a series of ads arguing that celibacy is not the solution to women’s dating problems after it was called out on social media.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 May 2024
The company faced swift backlash across social media from users who condemned the ads for delegitimizing celibacy as a valid personal choice.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 14 May 2024
Many people have different definitions of the limitations of celibacy.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
The bishops urged radical change: Grant priestly powers to married men, breaking with the bedrock tenet of clerical celibacy, and increase the reach of the cloth.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 17 Feb. 2024
Differences also emerged on maintaining priestly celibacy, an issue of deep importance to Catholics in remote regions where clerics are in short supply.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2023
In the original myth, Medusa is a human woman who takes a vow of celibacy out of devotion to Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'celibacy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near celibacy
Cite this Entry
“Celibacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celibacy. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
celibacy
noun
cel·i·ba·cy
ˈsel-ə-bə-sē
: the state of not being married
especially
: the state of one who has taken a vow not to marry
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