nearlywed

[ neer-lee-wed ]

noun

1. a person who lives with another in a life partnership, sometimes engaged with no planned wedding date, sometimes with no intention of ever marrying:

   We’ve been nearlyweds for eight wonderful years, with our third child on the way.

2. a person whose wedding day is very soon to occur:

   Just two days from the big event, this is one nearlywed who isn’t feeling a smidgen of cold feet.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nearlywed¹

First recorded in 1955–60; nearly ( def ) + wed ( def ); modeled on newlywed ( def )

Example Sentences

Tirzah Stein, a licensed social worker in Denver, recently left her job in that field to start NearlyWed Coaching, which specializes in wedding and premarital coaching.

From New York Times

But the deep blues and white-out whites of Santorini exercise a particular hold on the romantic imagination of many an Asian nearlywed.

From New York Times

Yet it is another type of role for which she is really famous: the nearlywed.

From The Guardian