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

Despite his deviations from Trumpism, any notion that Vance and the Democrats could become bedfellows, however strange, is unlikely. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

And in a case of strange bedfellows, the NYPD joined with a litany of anti-police critics as the complainers. —Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2024

Or consider the strange bedfellows made by the war in Afghanistan. —Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021

Ever since every entertainment company decided to launch its own streaming service, choice paralysis has become an unwelcome bedfellow. —Lucy Ford, TIME, 2 Aug. 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