as in extramarital
relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
had an adulterous affair that nearly destroyed his marriage
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Recent Examples of adulterous
As with the true story of the adulterous writers, there’s something at the center of The Disappear that feels cringily solipsistic.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
The adulterous state attorney general from Texas, Ken Paxton, survived an impeachment vote in 2023 over bribery and abuse of office and is now running for the U.S. Senate.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
In the months since the incident unfolded at Gillette Stadium, the public — which was quick to discover that Cabot worked as an HR executive under Byron, and that both were married to other people at the time — has been quick to brand the pair as adulterous villains.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
The adulterous state attorney general from Texas, Ken Paxton, survived an impeachment vote in 2023 over bribery and abuse of office and is now running for the U.S. Senate.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
In the months since the incident unfolded at Gillette Stadium, the public — which was quick to discover that Cabot worked as an HR executive under Byron, and that both were married to other people at the time — has been quick to brand the pair as adulterous villains.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterous
Adjective
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Within days, intense public scrutiny gave way to a wave of revelations about Woods’ extramarital affairs.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
30 Mar. 2026
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But Mullin will simultaneously be putting out fires that senior officials say were set by Noem and Lewandowski, a special government employee who is reported to have engaged in an extramarital affair with Noem since 2019.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, career commitment, extracurricular involvement and financial need, a club news release said.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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Oseguera told the Independent Journal that PTA funding is used to provide supplemental classroom materials for teachers as well as support field trips, music and art programs, student promotion ceremonies, student club activities and extracurricular opportunities.—
Cameron Macdonald,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterous. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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