voluntary sexual intercourse between two persons where one is or both are unmarried
3. Bible
sexual immorality in general, esp adultery
fornication in American English
(ˌfɔrnɪˈkeɪʃən)
noun
1.
a.
voluntary sexual intercourse engaged in by a man, esp. an unmarried man, with an unmarried woman
b.
voluntary sexual intercourse engaged in by an unmarried person: if the other personis married, the act of the unmarried person is sometimes considered adultery
see also UNRESOLVED CROSS REF
2. Bible
a.
any unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery
b.
worship of idols
Word origin
ME fornicacioun < OFr fornication < LL(Ec) fornicatio < fornicatus: see fornicate1
Synonyms of 'fornication'
adultery, infidelity, unfaithfulness, extra-marital congress or relations or sex
immorality, sin, indecency, promiscuity
More Synonyms of fornication
1 (noun)
Definition
voluntary sexual intercourse outside marriage
Adultery and fornication are no longer crimes.
Synonyms
adultery
She is going to divorce him on the grounds of adultery.
infidelity
I divorced him for infidelity.
unfaithfulness
extra-marital congress or relations or sex
living in sin
extra-curricular sex (informal)
pre-marital congress or relations or sex
2 (noun)
an embarrassing blend of failure, farce and fornication
Synonyms
immorality
a reflection of our society's immorality
sin
indecency
He behaved himself toward me with ill manner, indecency and disrespect.
promiscuity
the health dangers associated with promiscuity
impurity
impurity and evil desires
incontinence
debauchery
The police were called to quell scenes of violence and debauchery.
free love
sleeping around
dissipation
looseness
lechery
His lechery made him the enemy of every father in the country.
immodesty
shamelessness
easy virtue
loose morals
salaciousness
lasciviousness
uncleanness
libertinism
unchastity
dissoluteness
indelicacy
Additional synonyms
in the sense of debauchery
Definition
excessive drunkenness or sexual activity
The police were called to quell scenes of violence and debauchery.
Synonyms
depravity,
excess,
lust,
revel,
indulgence,
orgy,
incontinence,
gluttony,
dissipation,
licentiousness,
intemperance,
overindulgence,
lewdness,
dissoluteness,
carousal
in the sense of impurity
impurity and evil desires
Synonyms
immorality,
corruption,
obscenity,
indecency,
vulgarity,
prurience,
coarseness,
licentiousness,
immodesty,
carnality,
lewdness,
grossness,
salaciousness,
lasciviousness,
unchastity,
smuttiness
in the sense of indecency
He behaved himself toward me with ill manner, indecency and disrespect.
Synonyms
obscenity,
impurity,
lewdness,
impropriety,
pornography,
vulgarity,
coarseness,
crudity,
licentiousness,
foulness,
outrageousness,
immodesty,
grossness,
vileness,
bawdiness,
unseemliness,
indelicacy,
smuttiness,
indecorum,
smut
Nearby words of
fornication
formless
formula
formulate
fornication
forsake
forsaken
forswear
Synonyms of 'fornication'
fornication
Explore 'fornication' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of infidelity
Definition
sexual unfaithfulness to one's husband, wife, or lover
I divorced him for infidelity.
Synonyms
unfaithfulness,
cheating (informal),
adultery,
betrayal,
duplicity,
disloyalty,
bad faith,
perfidy (literary),
falseness,
faithlessness,
false-heartedness
in the sense of lechery
His lechery made him the enemy of every father in the country.