bedfellow

noun

bed·​fel·​low ˈbed-ˌfe-(ˌ)lō 

1

: one who shares a bed with another

2

: a person or thing closely associated with another : ally

political bedfellows

—often used in the phrase strange bedfellows to describe an unlikely alliance of people or things

Politics indeed makes strange bedfellows and on the issue of local regulation of pesticides, environmental and states' rights advocates have joined forces.

—Elena S. Rutrick

Polities and good architecture are strange bedfellows, but in Barcelona the marriage has worked.

—Cathleen McGuigan

Synonyms

• abettor
• abetter
• ally
• backer
• confederate
• fellow traveler
• supporter
• sympathizer

Examples of bedfellow in a Sentence

a child-welfare cause that has made bedfellows of activists who are normally on opposite ends of the political spectrum

Recent Examples on the Web

These coalition talks can take months, and getting the wrong bedfellows can be costly. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2025

The fight brought together strange bedfellows, from the conservative Nye County board of commissioners to tribal nations to progressive Las Vegas environmentalists. —Meg Bernhard, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Sports and romance may not seem like easy bedfellows, but some recent pop culture moments give us reason to think otherwise. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024

Everyone left standing is pretty much out for themselves and everyone has a price, which means shoddy intelligence, morally questionable decisions, and cold-blooded betrayal are all cozy bedfellows. —Josh Weiss, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bedfellow

• marshmallow
• morello
• othello
• schoolfellow
• cello
• fellow
• jello
• mellow
• melo
• velo
• portobello
• violoncello

Kids Definition

bedfellow

noun

bed·​fel·​low ˈbed-ˌfel-ō 

: one who shares a bed with another