espoused

[ ih-spouzd, -spousd ]

adjective

1. embraced or adopted, as an idea, principle, or cause:

   There was an immediate negative reaction to his clearly espoused beliefs on the subject.

2. Archaic. married:

   Once while I was in medical school, my recently espoused wife was persuaded to come and see me do a post-mortem.

3. Archaic. engaged or betrothed:

   Espoused couples desiring to be married by the Ministerial Staff are required to complete the six-week preparation course.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of espouse ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·es·poused adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of espoused¹

espouse ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Days before the election, McCoy had preached that if Trump lost “life is going to take on catastrophic conditions” because of the evil espoused by the left.

From Los Angeles Times

All three have espoused unorthodox economic views, such as across-the-board tariffs that critics say would start trade wars and hurt American workers.

From Salon

Lately, Greene has espoused the theory that Democrats can control extreme weather events like Hurricane Helene.

From Salon

It deserves to be criticized within those terms, as much as whether they live up to their espoused theological beliefs.

From Salon

Jones wrote in her memoir that Lunsford, who questioned what kind of influence the librarian would have over children, peddled conspiracy theories and espoused “typical far-right nonsense.”

From Los Angeles Times