bedfellow
bedfellow Lexical Profile
bedfellow Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person, organization, or thing allied or closely associated with another, especially in an unexpected or opportunistic way.
"Environmental activists and corporate executives became unlikely bedfellows during the campaign for renewable energy tax credits."
A person who shares a bed with another.
"In medieval inns, travelers were often forced to share a room and a mattress with a complete stranger as a bedfellow."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, 'bedfellow' is most frequently used figuratively in the plural (especially in the idiom 'strange bedfellows') to describe unlikely political, business, or ideological allies rather than literal sleeping partners.
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in late Middle English as a compound of 'bed' and 'fellow' (from Old Norse 'félagi', meaning a partner who shares property or a comrade). The famous figurative sense of 'strange bedfellows' derives from William Shakespeare's play 'The Tempest' ('Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.