Table of Contents
Definition of Hypergamy
(noun) A marriage between a female of low status to a male of higher status.
Hypergamy Pronunciation
Syllabification: hy·per·ga·my
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /hie-pUHRgUH-mee/
- British English – /hie-pUHRgUH-mee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English: /haɪˈpɝɡəmɪ/
- British English: /haɪˈpɜːgəmɪ/
Usage Notes
- Plural: hypergamies
- Hypergamy follows the marriage gradient.
- Within a caste system, a wife might be permitted to move into her husband’s caste.
- Hypogamy is the opposite of hypergamy.
- A type of heterogamy and marriage.
Additional Information
Related Terms
- common-law marriage
- divorce
- endogamy
- exogamy
- family of orientation
- family of procreation
- heterogamy
- homogamy
- hypogamy
- marriage
- monogamy
Cite the Definition of Hypergamy
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “hypergamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 24, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/hypergamy/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
hypergamy. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/hypergamy/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “hypergamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/hypergamy/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“hypergamy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/hypergamy/>.