companionate marriage
noun
a form of marriage in which the partners agree not to have children and can be divorced by mutual consent, leaving neither spouse legally responsible for the financial welfare of the other.
Origin of companionate marriage
1First recorded in 1925–30
- Compare trial marriage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use companionate marriage in a sentence
You can still see the contrast between American idealism about companionate marriage and French “sophistication.”
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