adulterer

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UK/əˈdʌltəɹə/US/əˈdʌltəɹɚ/

noun

A spouse who has sex with a non-spouse.

UncommonScrabble 10

Meanings

nounadulterer (plural adulterers)

plural adulterers

  1. One who commits adultery.
    1. broadlystrictlylawA spouse who has sex with a non-spouse.

      Under the canon-law rule, a married participant is an adulterer and an umarried one is a fornicator.

      2009, Garner's Modern American Usage, page 22

      Synonyms: cheater, bed-hopper, carpetmonger, chamberer, debauchee, debaucher, fornicator, gallant

    2. broadlySomeone who cheats on their spouse or monogamous significant other.

      Ashley Madison, so-called for the two most popular girls names, billed itself as the premier destination for adulterers – no judgment, no risks, no strings attached other than the payments required to secure enough “credits” to talk to other users.

      2024 May 14, Adrian Horton, “Inside the rise and fall of Ashley Madison: ‘People literally lost their lives’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

      Synonyms: cheater, bed-hopper, carpetmonger, chamberer, debauchee, debaucher, fornicator, gallant

    3. broadlyA male adulterer specifically.

      I become an adulterer and remain an adulterer when, by choice, I freely adopt the proposal to have sex with someone other than my wife.

      2005, The Great Life: Essays on Doctrine and Holiness, page 140
      1 more example

      The Word of God says that you, my reader, should be sure that no fornicator or adulterer or adulteress has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

      2016, Freedom From The Sin of Adultery And Fornication, page 110

      Synonyms: cheater, bed-hopper, carpetmonger, chamberer, debauchee, debaucher, fornicator, gallant

Synonyms & antonyms

More synonyms by meaning

nounsomeone who commits adultery or fornication

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Ancient Greek μοιχός, μοιχαλίς
  • μοιχός (moikhós)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • μοιχαλίς (moikhalís)husband or wife who commits adultery
Arabic زَانٍ, الزَّانِي
  • زَانٍ (zānin)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • الزَّانِي (az-zānī)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • زَانِيَة (zāniya)husband or wife who commits adultery
Bulgarian прелюбоде́ец, прелюбоде́йка
  • прелюбоде́ец (preljubodéec)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • прелюбоде́йка (preljubodéjka)husband or wife who commits adultery
Catalan adúlter, adúltera
  • adúlterhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adúlterahusband or wife who commits adultery
Chinese Mandarin 姦夫 /奸夫
  • 姦夫 /奸夫 (jiānfū)husband or wife who commits adultery
Czech cizoložník m cizoložnice
  • cizoložník m cizoložnicehusband or wife who commits adultery
Danish ægteskabsbryder, ægteskabsbryderske
  • ægteskabsbryderhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • ægteskabsbryderskehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkarlhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horekarlhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkonehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horekonehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkvindehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horekvindehusband or wife who commits adultery
Dutch overspelige, echtbreker
  • overspeligehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • echtbrekerhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • echtbreeksterhusband or wife who commits adultery
Esperanto adultulo, adultulino
  • adultulohusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adultulinohusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adultintohusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adultintinohusband or wife who commits adultery
Estonian abielurikkuja
  • abielurikkujahusband or wife who commits adultery
Finnish avionrikkoja
  • avionrikkojahusband or wife who commits adultery
French adultère, homme adultère
  • adultèrehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • homme adultèrehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • femme adultèrehusband or wife who commits adultery
German Ehebrecher, Ehebrecherin
  • Ehebrecherhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • Ehebrecherinhusband or wife who commits adultery
Greek μοιχός, μοιχαλίδα
  • μοιχός (moichós)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • μοιχαλίδα (moichalída)husband or wife who commits adultery
Hebrew נוֹאֵף
  • נוֹאֵף (no'éf)husband or wife who commits adultery
Hindi व्यभिचारी, व्यभिचारिणी
  • व्यभिचारी (vyabhicārī)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • व्यभिचारिणी (vyabhicāriṇī)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • परस्त्रीगामी (parastrīgāmī)husband or wife who commits adultery
Hungarian házasságtörő
  • házasságtörőhusband or wife who commits adultery
Icelandic hórkarl
  • hórkarlhusband or wife who commits adultery
Indonesian pezina
  • pezinahusband or wife who commits adultery
Irish adhaltrach, banadhaltrach
  • adhaltrachhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • banadhaltrachhusband or wife who commits adultery
Italian adultero, adultera
  • adulterohusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adulterahusband or wife who commits adultery
Japanese 姦通者, 姦夫
  • 姦通者 (kantsūsha)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • 姦夫 (kanpu)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • 浮気者 (uwakimono)husband or wife who commits adultery
Korean 오입쟁이, 간부
  • 오입쟁이 (oipjaeng'i)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • 간부 (ganbu)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • 간음자 (ganeumja)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • 사통자 (satongja)husband or wife who commits adultery
Latin adulter, adultera
  • adulterhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adulterahusband or wife who commits adultery
Lithuanian svetimautojas
  • svetimautojashusband or wife who commits adultery
Māori tangata pūremu, kaipūremu
  • tangata pūremuhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • kaipūremuhusband or wife who commits adultery
Norwegian Bokmål ekteskapsbryter, ekteskapsbryterske
  • ekteskapsbryterhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • ekteskapsbryterskehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkarhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkarlhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkonehusband or wife who commits adultery
Polish cudzołożnik, cudzołożnica
  • cudzołożnikhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • cudzołożnicahusband or wife who commits adultery
Portuguese adúltero, adúltera
  • adúlterohusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adúlterahusband or wife who commits adultery
Romanian adulter, adulteră
  • adulterhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adulterăhusband or wife who commits adultery
Russian прелюбоде́й, прелюбоде́йка
  • прелюбоде́й (preljubodéj)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • прелюбоде́йка (preljubodéjka)husband or wife who commits adultery
Scottish Gaelic adhaltraiche, ban-adhaltraiche
  • adhaltraichehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • ban-adhaltraichehusband or wife who commits adultery
Slovak cudzoložník, cudzoložnica
  • cudzoložníkhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • cudzoložnicahusband or wife who commits adultery
Spanish adúltero, adúltera
  • adúlterohusband or wife who commits adultery
  • adúlterahusband or wife who commits adultery
Swedish äktenskapsbrytare, äktenskapsbryterska
  • äktenskapsbrytarehusband or wife who commits adultery
  • äktenskapsbryterskahusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horkarlhusband or wife who commits adultery
  • horbockhusband or wife who commits adultery
Ukrainian перелю́бник, перелю́бниця
  • перелю́бник (pereljúbnyk)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • перелю́бниця (pereljúbnycja)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • перелю́бець (pereljúbecʹ)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • перелю́бка (pereljúbka)husband or wife who commits adultery
Yiddish נואף, נואפֿטע
  • נואף (noyef)husband or wife who commits adultery
  • נואפֿטע (noyefte)husband or wife who commits adultery
Cite this entry
APA

adulterer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adulterer

MLA

“adulterer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adulterer. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adulterer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adulterer.

Source: adulterer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.