Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Pledged to be married; engaged: Describes a person who has formally promised to marry another person. This indicates a formal agreement to marry, often involving an engagement ring or ceremony.
   • Formally promised in marriage: This formal promise is typically mutual and recognized by families or society.

2. Noun:

   • The person to whom one is engaged: Refers specifically to the individual one has promised to marry. It is a formal term for one's fiancé or fiancée.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • She was betrothed to a man from a neighboring village. (She was formally promised in marriage to a man from a neighboring village.)
  • The betrothed couple exchanged rings during the ceremony. (The engaged couple exchanged rings during the ceremony.)

• Noun:

  • He introduced her as his betrothed. (He introduced her as the woman he was engaged to marry.)
  • She waited anxiously for the arrival of her betrothed. (She waited anxiously for the arrival of the man she was promised to marry.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be betrothed to someone": This is the standard construction to indicate the state of being engaged.
  • The princess was betrothed to a foreign prince to secure an alliance.
• "One's betrothed": A formal and somewhat archaic way to refer to one's fiancé(e).
  • He swore to protect his betrothed with his life.

Variants and Related Words

• Betrothal (n): The act or state of being betrothed; the formal engagement to be married.
  • The betrothal was celebrated with a small family gathering.
• Betroth (v): To promise to give in marriage; to engage someone to marry. (Note: This is the verb form and is now rare or literary.)
  • The king betrothed his daughter to the duke's son.

Synonyms

• Engaged: The most common modern synonym for the adjective form.
• Pledged: Emphasizes the promise aspect.
• Fiancé (n, male) / Fiancée (n, female): The direct modern equivalents for the noun form.

Notes on Usage

• The term "betrothed" is more formal and somewhat literary or old-fashioned compared to "engaged". It is often found in historical contexts, literature, or formal writing.
• As a noun, it can be used for both men and women, unlike the gender-specific and .
• It typically implies a formal, often arranged, agreement, whereas "engaged" can describe a more personal mutual decision in modern contexts.

Adjective

1. pledged to be married
   • the engaged couple

Noun

1. the person to whom you are engaged