as in cheating
a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
adultery is the cause of many divorces
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adultery
Bianca filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery in 1978, a year after Mick started seeing model Jerry Hall.
—
Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
As China’s economy has grown, so too has its incidence of adultery.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July, accusing her husband of adultery.
—Lauren McGaughy, ProPublica, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adultery
Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
As China’s economy has grown, so too has its incidence of adultery.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July, accusing her husband of adultery.
—Lauren McGaughy, ProPublica, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adultery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adultery
Noun
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An honor council, comprised of administrators, teachers, and members of the student government, would sit in judgment on cases of alleged cheating.—
Nell Freudenberger,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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In the wake of the cheating, FIS has modified its rules and brought in a coordinator to oversee screening of gear and hired former Austrian ski jumper Mathias Hafele to work as equipment expert.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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British police raided two properties linked to Mandelson on Friday as part of an investigation into misconduct in public office.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Proctor case could prove a test of Hochman’s commitment to prosecuting police misconduct cases.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sturla Holm Lægreid’s spectacular on-air confession of infidelity didn’t win him any points with his ex-girlfriend.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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Lægreid, who previously won gold in the relay at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and has 14 world championship medals to his name, explained on Tuesday that he was prompted to address the breakup and infidelity publicly in the hopes of reconciliation.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adultery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adultery. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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