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monogamy

/məˈnɑgəmi/
/məˈnɒgəmi/
IPA guide

Monogamy is when you are married to, or in a sexual relationship with, one person at a time. Humans are one of the few species that practice monogamy. Well, sometimes.

You may have heard of something called polygamy, which is having more than one spouse at a time. The difference between monogamy and its antonym, polygamy, lies in the prefixes. In Greek, poly means "multiple," while mono means just the opposite: "single." Therefore, if you are committed to one romantic partner at a time, you are in a monogamous relationship.

Definitions of monogamy
  1. noun
    having only one spouse at a time
    synonyms: monogamousness
    see moresee less
    types:
    monogyny
    having only one wife at a time
    serial monogamy
    a succession of short monogamous relationships (as by someone who undergoes multiple divorces)
    type of:
    marriage, matrimony, spousal relationship, union, wedlock
    the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
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