Romeo and Juliet couple

noun

A couple who have married without their parents' consent.

Meanings

nounRomeo and Juliet couple (plural Romeo and Juliet couples)

plural Romeo and Juliet couples

  1. A couple who have married without their parents' consent.
  2. By analogy with the two Shakespearean characters, a couple consisting of one member from each of two opposing families, parties, or countries.

    The incidence there was especially high among Indian and Pakistani teens, Romeo-and-Juliet couples.

    1997, Lucia Nevai, Normal: stories
    1 more example

    There are, for example, the Romeo and Juliet couples, who come from warring or enemy nations and escape to a neutral third country […]

    1988, Dugan Romano, Intercultural marriage: promises and pitfalls

Origin

After the eponymous characters in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Romeo and Juliet couple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet%20couple

MLA

“Romeo and Juliet couple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet%20couple. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Romeo and Juliet couple,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet%20couple.

Source: Romeo and Juliet couple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.