arranged marriage

noun

ar·​ranged marriage ə-ˈrānjd- How to pronounce arranged marriage (audio)
plural arranged marriages
: a marriage in which the spouses are chosen for each other by their parents

Examples of arranged marriage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This includes allowing parents to have arranged marriages for their young daughters. Scott McDonald, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2024 Fewer couples who have arranged marriages divorce than those who have love matches. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024 Millions of people have arranged marriages across the world that are extremely successful, and this film really highlights and celebrates the differences between Eastern and Western culture, in a way that feels totally nonjudgmental and truthful. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 May 2023 Female friendship, our reviewer, Tatjana Soli, noted, is tested here by class differences, arranged marriages and wartime atrocities. Jennifer Krauss, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 For a long time, Raghda and Rafaa seemed fated to retrace the path of their five older sisters: arranged marriages while still young; children soon thereafter; faces covered with the niqab, the black veil that reveals only the eyes. Vivian Yee, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2020 As India has developed, women have become better educated and more empowered, and arranged marriages have declined. Dana G. Smith, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2018 Legal loopholes at the federal and state levels have allowed forced and arranged marriages to continue, lawmakers and activists fighting to end the practice say. NBC News, 12 Aug. 2019 But for young, American Muslims, whose parents or grandparents adhered to more traditional and strict family obligations in dating, or had arranged marriages, the pull of familial expectations can be tough. Monica Haider, Teen Vogue, 30 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arranged marriage was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near arranged marriage

Cite this Entry

“Arranged marriage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arranged%20marriage. Accessed 30 Dec. 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!