Romantic relationships are often plagued with many issues, like infidelity and adultery. Unfortunately, many people do not know the differences between infidelity and adultery. After we discuss adultery vs infidelity in this article, every reader should know the differences between these two words.
Adultery is sexual intercourse with someone besides your spouse. In contrast, infidelity is unfaithfulness in a marriage or an intimate relationship between a married person and an individual who’s not their partner. Adultery is mainly about sex, while infidelity involves various moral obligations.
Adultery and infidelity are among the most prevalent issues in romantic relationships. In fact, many people often use these words interchangeably. Read on to find out if using these words as synonyms or interchangeably is okay.
Definitions Of Adultery And Infidelity
Adultery and infidelity do not have any spelling or pronunciation similarities. Therefore, their connection is more about their definition. For this reason, the best way to understand these words in detail is by looking at their definitions. Here are definitions of adultery and infidelity, according to reliable sources:
Definitions Of Adultery
Adultery is sexual contact between a wedded person and an individual other than their spouse. The other person can be single or also married to someone else.
Another source defines infidelity as extramarital sex highly looked down upon according to social, sacred, ethical, and legal grounds.
An exciting definition of this word is “voluntary sexual intercourse outside a marriage.” “Outside a marriage” means “with someone apart from your partner by marriage.”
According to the Bible and religious sources, adultery is “lewdness of thought and the sexual relations by a married person with someone other than their marital partner.” The Bible explains adultery as a forbidden act according to the seventh commandment.
Other biblical sources regard adultery as “faithlessness in religion.” That means those who engage in adultery don’t have faith in biblical teachings. Note that this definition only applies in biblical contexts.
Definitions Of Infidelity
Infidelity means “unfaithfulness in a marriage or any intimate relationship.” Infidelity may include sexual or romantic engagement with someone else without consent or the other spouse’s knowledge.
Infidelity also means “a sexual or emotional abuse of a married or engaged duo, mainly because of adultery, resulting in rivalry, jealousy, and anger in their relationship.”
Infidelity can also be termed as “unfaithfulness in any moral obligation.” This definition emphasizes that infidelity does not exclusively apply in romantic relationship contexts. In cases beyond marriage and relationships, we can say that infidelity also means “a breach of trust, disloyal act, transgression, or unfaithfulness.”
Biblical sources define infidelity as a “lack of religious faith, especially in Christianity.” In religion, infidelity also means “a lack of faith in a religious system, like the divine origin or religion, a divine being, or the scriptures, especially in the Christian religion.”
How To Properly Use Adultery And Infidelity In Sentences
According to their definitions, infidelity and adultery are synonyms. This implies that you can use these words interchangeably to refer to unfaithfulness to a spouse. However, since they have multiple definitions, their applications as synonyms are limited to specific contexts. Here are some things to keep in mind when using adultery and infidelity in a sentence:
How To Use The Word Adultery
You can use the noun adultery to refer to:
- An affair between a married person and someone who is not their spouse
- An extramarital sexual affair
- The quality of not being loyal to a partner, country, or an organization
Note: Adultery is mostly an uncountable noun. However, in specific contexts, like if you want to discuss various types or collections, you can use the plural form (adulteries.) For example, “The book explained two types of adulteries.”
How To Use The Word Infidelity
Use the noun infidelity when referring to:
- A state of unfaithfulness or disloyalty
- The characteristics of deviousness
- Disbelief in god or religious elements
- Unfaithfulness to a spouse or any other romantic partner
Note: infidelity is in most cases an uncountable noun. Therefore, it does not need a plural form. But on unique occasions, “infidelities” is an accepted plural form.
Adultery Vs Infidelity: Don’t Do These Four Things When Using These Words
After reading the sections above, you may feel courageous to use these words in sentences. However, before doing so, kindly note the following don’ts:
Please Don’t Use Them Interchangeably In All Contexts
Infidelity and adultery are synonyms. Therefore, you can use them interchangeably. However, it would be best if you only did this in specific contexts, primarily when referring to unfaithfulness to a spouse. Since both words have religion-based definitions, you can find a link in these contexts. However, you ought to understand the various definitions properly to use these words correctly, even when applying them as synonyms.
Don’t Misspell The Words
A common mistake people make when using English words is misspelling them. Proper spelling is essential for effective communication. Before using any word, you should first master its spelling. The acceptable spellings for these words are “I-N-F-I-D-E-L-I-T-Y” and “A-D-U-L-T-E-R-Y.”
Don’t Mispronounce The Words
When most people learn new words, they focus on their spelling and applications in writing. However, also pay attention to the word applications in verbal communication. For this reason, learning proper pronunciation is vital.
The best way to master pronunciation is by splitting words into syllables. For instance, infidelity has five syllables, and its proper pronunciation is “/in-fi-del-i-tee/.” On the other hand, adultery has four syllables, and its proper pronunciation is “/uh-duhl-ter-ee/.”
Use Both Words As Countable And Uncountable Nouns With Caution
Infidelity and adultery are both uncountable nouns. Therefore, you should be careful when using these words in sentences as countable nouns. When you want to refer to many instances of either word, the plural remains the same; however, “adulteries” and “infidelities” are words that have gained recognition as plural forms in some instances.
List Of Examples Of Infidelity And Adultery Use In Sentences
Learning new words would be a waste of time if you did not use them in sentences correctly. However, people often avoid using confusing words because they fear misusing them. For this reason, people will often use “unfaithfulness” instead of adultery or infidelity.
Here are a few examples of sentences with infidelity and adultery to get you started:
Example sentences of the word adultery
- Gabrielle cited adultery as the reason for her marriage’s dissolution in the legal documents.
- Traditionally, eye loss was the penalty for adultery.
- Partners that commit adultery do not deserve a second chance.
- Daniella cried for days when she discovered the adultery within her marriage.
- The court will decide whether to grant the couple a legal separation after the wife’s lawyer presents the proof of adultery to the judge.
Example sentences of the word infidelity
- My favorite couple filed for divorce because of infidelity.
- Kim’s infidelity to his wife and constant verbal and physical abuse landed him in trouble with his followers.
- The Menendez sisters went on air to discuss their father’s infidelity and their mother’s mental state.
- After years of enduring her husband’s infidelity, Sarah finally filed for divorce and sole custody of her kids.
- The partnership between the tech giants failed because of the infidelity within the collaboration.
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Conclusion
Adultery refers to extramarital sexual intercourse by a married person. On the other hand, infidelity is a breach of trust, disloyalty, or unfaithfulness in marriages or other relationships. Therefore, using these words interchangeably or as synonyms is okay, mainly when referring to a marital or committed relationship.
However, like most English words, some contexts exist where you cannot synonymously use words like infidelity and adultery. For instance, kindly do not use adultery to refer to moral disloyalty or breach of contract.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.