Standard Lemma guide

betrothal

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/
  • Canada, US: /bɪˈtɹoʊ.ðəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /bɪˈtɹəʉ.ðəl/
  • Australian: /bɪˈtɹɐʉ.ðəl/
  • rhymes with -əʊðəl

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of betrothing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • marriage betrothal
  • formal betrothal
  • announce a betrothal
  • Their betrothal was announced in the local newspaper.
  • The play ends with a wedding after a long betrothal.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The fact of being betrothed; a mutual promise, engagement, or contract for a future marriage between two people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the act of becoming betrothed or engaged

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: espousal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ritual, rite

4

noun

Meaning 4

a mutual promise to marry

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: troth, engagement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: promise

Narrower terms: ringing

History

Etymology

From betroth + -al.

Across languages

Translations

99 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: fejesë — mutual promise
  • Albanian: mblesë — mutual promise
  • Arabic: خِطْبَة (ḵiṭba) — mutual promise
  • Arabic: خُطُوبَة (ḵuṭūba) — mutual promise
  • Armenian: նշանադրություն (nšanadrutʻyun) — mutual promise
  • Armenian: նշանդրեք (nšandrekʻ) — mutual promise
  • Aromanian: isozmã — mutual promise
  • Aromanian: arãvoanã — mutual promise
  • Azerbaijani: nişan — mutual promise
  • Azerbaijani: adax — mutual promise
  • Belarusian: зару́чыны (zarúčyny) — mutual promise
  • Bulgarian: годе́ж (godéž) — mutual promise
  • Burmese: စေ့စပ်ကြောင်းလမ်းခြင်း (ce.capkraung:lam:hkrang:) — mutual promise
  • Chinese Mandarin: 定親 /定亲 (dìngqīn) — mutual promise
  • Chinese Mandarin: 婚約 /婚约 (hūnyuē) — mutual promise
  • Czech: zasnoubení — mutual promise
  • Danish: forlovelse — mutual promise
  • Dutch: verloving — mutual promise
  • Dutch: ondertrouw — mutual promise
  • Estonian: kihlus — mutual promise
  • Finnish: kihlaus — mutual promise
  • Finnish: kihlautuminen — mutual promise
  • French: accordailles — mutual promise
  • French: fiançailles — mutual promise
  • Georgian: ნიშნობა (nišnoba) — mutual promise
  • German: Verlobung — mutual promise
  • German: Verlöbnis — mutual promise
  • German: Verlobung — mutual promise
  • German: Verlobung — mutual promise
  • German: Verlobung — mutual promise
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍆𐍄𐍃 (fragifts) — mutual promise
  • Greek: αρραβώνας (arravónas) — mutual promise
  • Greek: αρραβώνιασμα (arravóniasma) — mutual promise
  • Gujarati: સગાઈ (sagāī) — mutual promise
  • Hindi: वाग्दान (vāgdān) — mutual promise
  • Hindi: सगाई (sagāī) — mutual promise
  • Hindi: मँगनी (maṅgnī) — mutual promise
  • Hungarian: eljegyzés — mutual promise
  • Icelandic: trúlofun — mutual promise
  • Icelandic: festar — mutual promise
  • Irish: cleamhnas — mutual promise
  • Italian: fidanzamento — mutual promise
  • Japanese: 婚約 (kon'yaku) — mutual promise
  • Kazakh: құда түсу (qūda tüsu) — mutual promise
  • Kazakh: құдаласу (qūdalasu) — mutual promise
  • Korean: 약혼 (yakhon) — mutual promise
  • Korean: 혼약 (honyak) — mutual promise
  • Kyrgyz: сүйлөшүү (süylöşüü) — mutual promise
  • Kyrgyz: кудалашуу (kudalaşuu) — mutual promise
  • Lao: ການຫມັ້ນ (kān man) — mutual promise
  • Latin: sponsālia — mutual promise
  • Latvian: saderunāšana — mutual promise
  • Lithuanian: sužadėtuvės — mutual promise
  • Lithuanian: susižadėjimas — mutual promise
  • Low German: Ferluawunge — mutual promise
  • Low German: Verlawung — mutual promise
  • Low German: Verlowung — mutual promise
  • Low German: Verlobung — mutual promise
  • Macedonian: веридба (veridba) — mutual promise
  • Macedonian: свршувачка (svršuvačka) — mutual promise
  • Maltese: għerusija — mutual promise
  • Māori: moumouranga — mutual promise
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forlovelse — mutual promise
  • Iranian Persian: نامْزَدی (nâmzadi) — mutual promise
  • Polish: zaręczyny — mutual promise
  • Portuguese: esponsais — mutual promise
  • Portuguese: noivado — mutual promise
  • Romanian: logodnă — mutual promise
  • Romanian: logodire — mutual promise
  • Russian: помо́лвка (pomólvka) — mutual promise
  • Russian: обруче́ние (obručénije) — mutual promise
  • Scottish Gaelic: rèiteach — mutual promise
  • Serbo-Croatian: вѐридба — mutual promise
  • Serbo-Croatian: за̑руке — mutual promise
  • Serbo-Croatian: vèridba — mutual promise
  • Serbo-Croatian: zȃruke — mutual promise
  • Slovak: zasnúbenie — mutual promise
  • Slovene: zaroka — mutual promise
  • Spanish: esponsales — mutual promise
  • Spanish: palabra de matrimonio — mutual promise
  • Spanish: promesa de matrimonio — mutual promise
  • Spanish: desposorio — mutual promise
  • Spanish: desposorios — mutual promise
  • Spanish: desposamiento — mutual promise
  • Swedish: förlovning — mutual promise
  • Tagalog: talimbuhol — mutual promise
  • Tajik: номзадӣ (nomzadi) — mutual promise
  • Tajik: ноншиканон (nonšikanon) — mutual promise
  • Tamil: நிச்சயதார்த்தம் (niccayatārttam) — mutual promise
  • Thai: การหมั้น (gaan-mân) — mutual promise
  • Turkish: nişan — mutual promise
  • Turkish: nişanlanma — mutual promise
  • Turkmen: nikalaşyk — mutual promise
  • Ukrainian: зару́чини (zarúčyny) — mutual promise
  • Ukrainian: обру́чення (obrúčennja) — mutual promise
  • Urdu: مَن٘گْنی (maṅgnī) — mutual promise
  • Urdu: سَگائی (sagāī) — mutual promise
  • Uzbek: unashtirish — mutual promise
  • Vietnamese: hôn ước — mutual promise