bigamy

Definition of Bigamy

(noun) The condition or practice of being married to multiple spouses at the same time, typically, with the connotation of illegality.

Examples of Bigamy

• Marrying another person before you have legally divorced your past partner.
• A man married to more than one woman in the United States.

Bigamy Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: big·a·my

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈbɪɡəmi/
• British English – /ˈbɪɡəmi/

Usage Notes

• Plural: bigamies
• Bigamy is the same as polygamy and used more commonly outside of the social sciences, particularly in law and is punishable as a crime in some locales.
• Bigamy is an issue due to the increase in immigration of people from one from different societies and cultures. Polygamy may be legal where they come from, but not where they emigrating.
• A (noun) bigamist (adverb) bigamously engages in a (adjective) bigamous or (adjective) bigamistic relationship.

Additional Information

• Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “bigamy” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• What is Bigamy? – Wisegeek: Clear Answers for Common Questions: wisegeek.org

Related Terms

• adelphogamy
• illegal
• legal
• marriage
• monogamy
• open marriage
• polyamory
• polyandry
• polygamy
• polygyny

---

Cite the Definition of Bigamy

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “bigamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 18, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/bigamy/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

bigamy. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/bigamy/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “bigamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/bigamy/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“bigamy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/bigamy/>.