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

The measure stirred impassioned debate in Parliament and produced some odd bedfellows. —Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

These are arguments that have brought together some unlikely bedfellows. —Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Dec. 2024

Among them were not only Trump’s ideological bedfellow, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, but also Mexico’s leftist leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador—both of whom dragged their feet for weeks before acknowledging Biden’s victory. —Michael J. Camilleri, Foreign Affairs, 28 Dec. 2020

Trump, meanwhile, has more hard-right populist bedfellows in Europe than during his first term, with Hungary’s Viktor Orban joined by like-minded nationalists from France to Finland. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bedfellow

noun

bed·​fel·​low ˈbed-ˌfel-ō 

: one who shares a bed with another