philanderer

noun

phi·​lan·​der·​er fə-ˈlan-dər-ər How to pronounce philanderer (audio)
plural philanderers
disapproving
: a man who has sexual relations with many women
especially : a man who is unfaithful to his wife or partner
… on a realistic level King is an incorrigible philanderer who deserts his gentle wife … Louise Westling
[Florenz] Ziegfeld's private life was messy. He was an outrageous philanderer who at one point kept a mistress in the same hotel he lived in with Anna Held. Alicia Metcalf Miller
Until then, public officials who were philanderers or alcoholics … pretty much operated with immunity from disclosure so long as their professional performance was unaffected. Tom Goldstein

Examples of philanderer in a Sentence

an incorrigible philanderer who was often in lust and never in love
Recent Examples on the Web Though he had been banned from baseball since 1989, served five months in a federal prison camp for income tax evasion, was a known philanderer and a largely unsuccessful gambler, Rose remained one of the most beloved former athletes in the nation. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024 That’s important because Snyder, who is a Trump supporter, was reportedly furious about the film’s unflattering depiction of the real estate mogul and former president as a drug-abusing philanderer who was heavily influenced by disgraced attorney and fixer, Roy Cohn. Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024 A number of people who are close to Kennedy described him to me as a lifelong philanderer. Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024 Trump denies being a philanderer, with his defense saying his concerns over the allegations revolved around his family, not his political prospects. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 18 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for philanderer 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'philanderer.' 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

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of philanderer was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near philanderer

Cite this Entry

“Philanderer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philanderer. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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