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

Zoom out: The two GOP leaders are unlikely bedfellows — an institutionalist defense hawk who has had harsh words for Trump vs. a relatively young conservative who rose to power by aligning his policies with Trump's. —Hans Nichols, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024

The big picture: In a further sign of the strange bedfellows, PhRMA, which has often been at odds with the Biden administration over the IRA's drug price negotiations, praised the move. —Peter Sullivan, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024

Proving that political and artistic bedfellows can be unpredictable, Abbasi reposted some praise his film and one of its stars Jeremy Strong received Tuesday from Donald Trump acolyte and ex-Richard Nixon operative Roger Stone. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2024

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