Meanings
nounstarter marriage (plural starter marriages)
plural starter marriages
- informalA first marriage for an individual or couple that either was short-lived or is expected to be unsuccessful, especially when viewed as serving as preparation for a subsequent marriage.
A starter marriage is one where the couple marries young and gets divorced before the arrival of the first child—and usually before the arrival of the first wrinkle. Starter marriages are more common among overachievers.
2008, Cooper Lawrence, The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever, Guilford, Connecticut: skirt!, →ISBN, page 212
Cite this entry
APA
starter marriage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starter%20marriage
MLA
“starter marriage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starter%20marriage. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “starter marriage,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starter%20marriage.
Source: starter marriage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.