Definition of Heterogamy
(noun) A marriage or other relationship between individuals with differing characteristics and statuses such as socioeconomic status or ethnicity.
Examples of Heterogamy
- Edward VIII of the United Kingdom abdicated his throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced United States socialite.
- Two people that meet at a university, get married even through they grew up in different cultures and have different socioeconomic statuses.
Heterogamy Pronunciation
Syllabification: het·er·og·a·my
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /het-uhr-rAHgUH-mee/
- British English – /he-tuh-rOgUH-mee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English: /ˌhɛtɚˈɹɑɡəmɪ/
- British English: /ˌhetəˈɹɒgəmɪ/
Usage Notes
- Plural: heterogamies
- Heterogamous relationships are a topic of interest in the popular press:
- The Guardian: “Across the Barricades: Love over the Class Divide” (2012) by Zoe Williams.
- The New York Times: “When Richer Weds Poorer, Money isn’t the Only Difference” (2005) by Tamar Lewin.
- The Washington Post: “For Richer or Poorer: The Challenges of Marrying Outside Your Class” (2015) by Jessi Streib.
- Heterogamy is the opposite of homogamy.
- Types:
- Also called anisogamy.
Additional Information
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Heterogamy
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “heterogamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved June 5, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
heterogamy. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “heterogamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“heterogamy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 5 Jun. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/>.