The state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce).

synonyms: marriage, spousal relationship, union, wedlock.

Roget 998: rite; ceremony, ritual, liturgy, ceremonial; ordinance, observance, function, duty; form, formulary; solemnity, sacrament; incantation etc. (spell) 993; service, psalmody etc. (worship) 990.    ministration; preaching, preachment; predication, sermon, homily, lecture, discourse, pastoral.    [Christian ritual for induction into the faith] baptism, christening, chrism; circumcision; baptismal regeneration; font.    confirmation; imposition of hands, laying on of hands; ordination etc. (churchdom) 995; excommunication.    [Jewish rituals] Bar Mitzvah, Bas Mitzvah [Fr.], Bris.    Eucharist, Lord's supper, communion; the sacrament, the holy sacrament; celebration, high celebration; missa cantata [Lat.]; asperges^†; offertory; introit; consecration; consubstantiation, transubstantiation; real presence; elements; mass; high mass, low mass, dry mass.    matrimony etc. 903; burial etc. 363; visitation of the sick.    seven sacraments, impanation^†, subpanation^†, extreme unction, viaticum, invocation of saints, canonization, transfiguration, auricular confession; maceration, flagellation, sackcloth and ashes; penance etc. (atonement) 952; telling of beads, processional; thurification^†, incense, holy water, aspersion.    relics, rosary, beads, reliquary, host, cross, rood, crucifix, pax [Lat.], pyx, agnus Dei [Lat.], censer, thurible, patera^†; eileton^†, Holy Grail; prayer machine, prayer wheel; Sangraal^†, urceus^†.    ritualism, ceremonialism; sabbatism^†, sabbatarianism^†; ritualist, sabbatarian^†.    holyday, feast, fast.    [Christian holy days] Sabbath, Pentecost; Advent, Christmas, Epiphany; Lent; Passion week, Holy week; Easter, Easter Sunday, Whitsuntide; agape, Ascension Day, Candlemas^†, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Thursday; Lammas, Martinmas, Michaelmas; All SAint's DAy, All Souls' Day.    [Moslem holy days] Ramadan, Ramazan; Bairam &c.. etc. [Jewish holy days] Passover; Shabuoth; Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement; Rosh Hashana, New Year; Hanukkah, Chanukkah, Feast of Lights; Purim, Feast of lots.    ... show more

Roget 903: marriage, matrimony, wedlock, union, intermarriage, miscegenation, the bonds of marriage, vinculum matrimonii [Lat.], nuptial tie.    married state, coverture, bed, cohabitation.    match; betrothment etc. (promise) 768; wedding, nuptials, Hymen, bridal; espousals, spousals; leading to the altar etc. v.; nuptial benediction, epithalamium^†; sealing.    torch of Hymen, temple of Hymen; hymeneal altar; honeymoon.    bridesmaid, bridesman^†, best man; bride, bridegroom.    married man, married woman, married couple; neogamist^†, Benedict, partner, spouse, mate, yokemate^†; husband, man, consort, baron; old man, good man; wife of one's bosom; helpmate, rib, better half, gray mare, old woman, old lady, good wife, goodwife.    feme [Fr.], feme coverte [Fr.]; squaw, lady; matron, matronage, matronhood^†; man and wife; wedded pair, Darby and Joan; spiritual wife.    monogamy, bigamy, digamy^†, deuterogamy^†, trigamy^†, polygamy; mormonism; levirate^†; spiritual wifery^†, spiritual wifeism^†; polyandrism^†; Turk, bluebeard^†.    unlawful marriage, left-handed marriage, morganatic marriage, ill-assorted marriage; mesalliance; mariage de convenance [Fr.].    marriage broker; matrimonial agency, matrimonial agent, matrimonial bureau, matchmaker; schatchen [G.].    ... show more

Roget 41: mixture, admixture, commixture, commixtion^†; commixion^†, intermixture, alloyage^†, matrimony; junction etc. 43; combination etc. 48; miscegenation.    impregnation; infusion, diffusion suffusion, transfusion; infiltration; seasoning, sprinkling, interlarding; interpolation; etc. 228 adulteration, sophistication.    [Thing mixed] tinge, tincture, touch, dash, smack, sprinkling, spice, seasoning, infusion, soupcon.    [Compound resulting from mixture] alloy, amalgam; brass, chowchow^†, pewter; magma, half-and-half, melange, tertium quid [Lat.], miscellany, ambigu^†, medley, mess, hotchpot^†, pasticcio^†, patchwork, odds and ends, all sorts; jumble etc. (disorder) 59; salad, sauce, mash, omnium gatherum [Lat.], gallimaufry, olla-podrida^†, olio, salmagundi, potpourri, Noah's ark, caldron texture, mingled yarn; mosaic etc. (variegation) 440.    half-blood, half-caste.    mulatto; terceron^†, quarteron^†, quinteron^† &c.; quadroon, octoroon; griffo^†, zambo^†; cafuzo^†; Eurasian; fustee^†, fustie^†; griffe, ladino^†, marabou, mestee^†, mestizo, quintroon, sacatra zebrule [Lat.]; catalo^†; cross, hybrid, mongrel.    ... show more

Dutch: echt, echtverbintenis, echtvereniging, huwelijk, huwelijksband, matrimonium
Polish: małżeństwo, związek małżeński, węzeł małżeński

The ceremony or sacrament of marriage.

Polish: małżeństwo