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Definition of adulterer

adulterer

/əˈdʌl.tər.ər/
a · dul · ter · er
Adverb:adulterously
•
Plural:adulterers
•
Adjective:adulterous
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adulterer Lexical Profile

adulterer Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A married person who engages in voluntary sexual relations with someone other than their legal spouse; a person who commits adultery.

Example

"In classic nineteenth-century literature, the social consequences for an exposed adulterer were often severe and permanent."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for adulterer

Word Nuance & Usage

While 'adulterer' now applies to any person of any gender who commits adultery, in older or strictly traditional usage it specifically referred to a man, in contrast to the female-specific 'adulteress'.

• Nearby Words

adult
adulterant
adulteration
adulterer
adulteress
adulterous
adultery

Word Origin & Etymology

From Middle English 'adultrer', reshaped under the influence of Latin 'adulter' (from 'adulterare', meaning 'to corrupt' or 'to commit adultery', derived from 'ad-' meaning 'to' and 'alter' meaning 'other').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Adulterer. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/adulterer
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