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 strange bedfellows march out the gates of the Red Keep together, destined to either come to blows or learn a begrudging mutual respect for each other, methinks. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 30 June 2024

For the motorcycle industry, and those that race them, the pandemic created odd bedfellows. —Maury Brown, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

But in the odd and temperamental place that is our state Capitol, sometimes necessity makes for strange bedfellows. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024

The result has been an incomplete picture of how and when ants and fungi became bedfellows. —Byariana Remmel, science.org, 3 Oct. 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