Definition
People (typically women) who are unfaithful in marriage by having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone other than their spouse.
Etymology
From 'adulteress,' the feminine form of 'adulterer,' using the -ess suffix to indicate female gender. This suffix convention is common in older English but increasingly archaic in modern usage.
Kelly Says
Historically, women accused of adultery faced far harsher punishments than men in most societies—sometimes death by stoning or drowning. The different grammatical forms (adulterer vs. adulteress) reflect how English grammar encoded these gendered power imbalances.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ሴት ተከራራት
sɛt tɛ.kɛ.ra.ɾat
BNবাংলা
ব্যভিচারিণী
bja.bhi.t͡ʃa.ɾi.ni
CACatalà
adúlteres
a.ˈdu.lte.res
CSČeština
cizoložnice
tsɪ.zɔ.lɔʒ.ɲɪ.tsɛ
DADansk
utro kvinder
u.tʁo kvi.nər
DEDeutsch
Ehebrecherinnen
eːə.bʁe.xə.ʁɪ.nən
ELΕλληνικά
μοιχαλίδες
mi.xa.lɪ.ðes
ESEspañol
adúlteras
a.ˈðul.te.ɾas
FISuomi
avionaiset naiset
a.vi.o.na.i.set na.i.set
FRFrançais
adultères
a.dy.lɛʁ
GUGU
વ્યભિચારિણી
vja.bhi.t͡ʃa.ɾi.ɳi
HAHA
mata masu zina
ma.ta ma.su zi.na
HIहिन्दी
व्यभिचारिणी
vja.bhi.t͡ʃa.ɾi.ni
HUMagyar
hűtlen asszonyok
hy.tlen as.so.njok
IDBahasa Indonesia
perempuan yang berzina
pə.rɛm.pu.an jaŋ bər.zi.na
IGIG
nwanyị na-ekwe omume
nwa.ɲɪ na.ɛ.kwe o.mu.me
ITItaliano
adultere
a.du.lɛˈre
KKKK
зинақорлар
zi.na.qor.lar
KMKM
ស្ត្រីក្រមុំ
sdei kram
MRMR
व्यभिचारिणी
vja.bhi.t͡ʃa.ɾi.ni
MSBahasa Melayu
perempuan berzina
pə.rɛm.pu.an bər.zi.na
MYမြန်မာ
မိန်းမမျှတ်
meɪɴ.ma mjɪʔ
NLNederlands
overspelige vrouwen
oː.vər.speː.lɪ.ɣə vruː.vən
NONorsk
utro kvinner
u.tro kvi.nər
PLPolski
niewierni kobiety
ɲɛ.vjɛr.ɲi kɔ.bʲe.tɨ
PTPortuguês
adúlteras
a.du.ˈtɛ.ɾɐs
RORomână
adultere
a.dul.te.re
RUРусский
преступницы
prɛ.stup.ni.tsɨ
SVSvenska
otrogna kvinnor
oː.troɡ.na kvɪn.nor
SWKiswahili
wanawake wanaotendea uchini
wa.na.wa.ke wa.na.o.ten.de.a u.t͡ʃi.ni
TAதமிழ்
விபசாரி
vi.pa.t͡ʃa.ɾi
TEతెలుగు
వ్యభిచారిణి
vja.bhi.t͡ʃa.ɾi.ni
THไทย
ผู้หญิงที่มีชู้
pʰûː hɨa tʰîː mi.t͡ɕʰuː
TLTL
babaeng mang-aaliw
ba.ba.ʔeŋ maŋ.a.ʔa.liw
TRTürkçe
zina yapan kadınlar
zi.na ja.pan ka.dın.lar
UKУкраїнська
перелюбниці
pe.re.lʲub.ni.tsɪ
VITiếng Việt
phụ nữ ngoại tình
fu̯ ɲɨ̄ ɲɔ̌ˀi tɨ̂n
YOYO
obinrin ti o nsise
o.bin.rin ti o n.si.se
ZUZU
amadoda abesifazane
a.ma.do.da a.be.si.fa.zane
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Feminine suffix '-ess' historically marked women as secondary category. Male 'adulterer' is neutral term; 'adulteress' linguistically emphasizes and often morally intensifies women's transgression.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'adulterer' as gender-neutral term for any person committing adultery, or specify 'man/woman who committed adultery' when gender is relevant to context.
Inclusive Alternatives
["adulterer","person who committed adultery"]