betrothal
Americannoun
noun
-
engagement to be married
-
a mutual promise to marry
Other Word Forms
- prebetrothal adjective
Etymology
Origin of betrothal
Explanation
A betrothal is an engagement, a promise to marry. If you want to sound fancy when you’re about to get married, just mention your betrothal, preferably to a duke or duchess. This 19th century word has roots meaning “faith” or “constancy,” and those meanings still hold — a betrothal is a promise to remain faithful and constant by getting married. A betrothal is basically a fancy word for an engagement. This word is slightly old-fashioned, and it also has an official, sophisticated flavor to it. After a proposal has been accepted, a couple will announce their betrothal to their friends and family. The couple is then betrothed to each other.
Vocabulary lists containing betrothal
Out of the Dust
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Beowulf
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Catherine, Called Birdy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The betrothal itself is a choreographed ritual of gestures.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
The couple posted from Paris, where the betrothal appears to have gone down.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2025
In Field, he thought he had found someone to love and grow old with and the pair had undergone a "betrothal" ceremony in 2014.
From BBC • Jul. 19, 2023
“Bride prices,” a tradition of betrothal gifts paid to the woman’s family, are skyrocketing.
From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023
Unsavory sorts murmured indelicacies at cutlet stands; grandmothers consulted almanacs to determine a propitious hour for the betrothal.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
