monogamy
noun
mo·nog·a·my mə-ˈnä-gə-mē 
1
a
: the state or practice of having only one sexual partner at a time
young couples who practice monogamy
b
: the state or custom of being married to only one person at a time
c
zoology : the condition or practice of having a single mate during a period of time
Monogamy is common among birds.
2
archaic : the practice of marrying only once during a lifetime
Example Sentences
young couples who practice monogamy Monogamy is common among birds.
Recent Examples on the Web By 1881, the Oneida Community had dissolved, the Shakers were losing members at an alarming rate (and, obviously, failing to spawn new ones), and many Mormons were actively choosing monogamy over polygamy. 
Stewart Davenport, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2022 All told, experts now think that true monogamy is only found in 7% of species, according to Cooke's book. Katie Hunt, CNN, 12 June 2022 Based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel of the same name, the story challenges those rules set forth by society that are centered around monogamy and sexuality. Dana Feldman, Forbes, 19 May 2022 YouGov in 2020, only 56 percent cited complete monogamy as their ideal relationship style, a 5 percent drop from 2016. Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2022 Annaliese Beery, a behavioral neuroscientist with Smith College in Massachusetts and the University of California at Berkeley, studies vole monogamy in the wild and in the lab. Ashleigh Papp, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2022 Hand in glove with this new style of living was an interrogation of conventional monogamy. Jamie Hood, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2021 The most plausible psychological interpretation for the preoccupation with murder in Highsmith’s work might see killing as a sort of allegory of serial monogamy. Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, 8 Nov. 2021 When the researcher finally asks them about their monogamy, stilted laughter is the only answer. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2021 See More
Stewart Davenport, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2022 All told, experts now think that true monogamy is only found in 7% of species, according to Cooke's book. Katie Hunt, CNN, 12 June 2022 Based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel of the same name, the story challenges those rules set forth by society that are centered around monogamy and sexuality. Dana Feldman, Forbes, 19 May 2022 YouGov in 2020, only 56 percent cited complete monogamy as their ideal relationship style, a 5 percent drop from 2016. Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2022 Annaliese Beery, a behavioral neuroscientist with Smith College in Massachusetts and the University of California at Berkeley, studies vole monogamy in the wild and in the lab. Ashleigh Papp, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2022 Hand in glove with this new style of living was an interrogation of conventional monogamy. Jamie Hood, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2021 The most plausible psychological interpretation for the preoccupation with murder in Highsmith’s work might see killing as a sort of allegory of serial monogamy. Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, 8 Nov. 2021 When the researcher finally asks them about their monogamy, stilted laughter is the only answer. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
French monogamie, from Late Latin monogamia, from Greek, from monogamos monogamous, from mon- + gamos marriage, from gamein to marry
First Known Use
1612, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Medical Definition
monogamy
noun
mo·nog·a·my -mē
plural monogamies
: the state or custom of being married to one person at a time or of having only one mate at a time
monogamy
noun
as in polygamy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- polygamy
- polygyny
- marriage
- polyandry
- bigamy
- betrothal
- engagement
- matrimony
- proposal
- promise
- conjugality
- espousal
- pledge
- troth
- wedlock
- relationship
- miscegenation
- intermarriage
- cohabitation
- remarriage
- commitment
- mixed marriage
- connubiality
- attachment
- match
- hand
- civil union
- domestic partnership
- common-law marriage
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- divorce
- separation
- annulment