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prenuptial

American  
[pree-nuhp-shuhl, ‑chuhl] / priˈnʌp ʃəl, ‑tʃəl /

adjective

  1. before marriage.

prenuptial British  
/ -tʃəl, priːˈnʌpʃəl /

adjective

  1. occurring or existing before marriage

    a prenuptial agreement
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Pronunciation

See nuptial.

Usage

What does prenuptial mean? Prenuptial means before marriage.Prenuptial is most commonly used in the term prenuptial agreement, which refers to a legal contract entered into by a couple before marriage that specifies things like the division of their finances and assets, especially in case the marriage ends, such as through divorce. It is commonly called a prenup for short.Example: Everyone thought it was strange that we had a prenuptial agreement, but life is unpredictable.

Etymology

Origin of prenuptial

First recorded in 1865–70; pre- + nuptial

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.