ESPOUSED Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

espoused 1 of 2

adjective

as in married

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espoused

2 of 2

verb

past tense of espouse

as in matched

to give in marriage a couple eager to espouse their eldest daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in wedded

to take as a spouse heeded his father's advice to espouse someone with whom he had common interests

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in borrowed

to take for one's own use (something originated by another) after working among them for two years in the Peace Corps, she felt compelled to espouse the peasants' cause for social justice

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of espoused

Adjective

The president can scarcely complain about the FBI wasting its time when Patel espoused conspiracy theories before his appointment, and when agents have been reinvestigating (yet again) the 2020 election results in Georgia. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 15 July 2026 Notably, though, many Americans—regardless of party—espoused evolving views on the nature of America’s relationships with China, Canada and Mexico, its top three trading partners. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 3 Apr. 2026

Verb

At large right-wing events, young conservatives have consistently espoused a deeply nativist strain of politics, and expressed their fandom of Fuentes and his politics. — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Though the picture has differed from race to race, the candidates have generally espoused a populist, anti-establishment message focused on economic issues, mobilizing their base and overcoming serious funding disadvantages. — Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 The company espoused values like trust and integrity, Collins said, but its behavior reflected a different underlying belief, which was that employees were expected to outperform. — Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 In these moments and others, HOTD has sometimes espoused a form of gender essentialism that suggests Rhaenyra and Alicent are both inherently kinder and better than the men around them. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 It is often espoused in this newsletter that virtually every starting pitcher in the major leagues is capable of the kind of excellence Bratt exhibited. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026 The whole point of originalism, as espoused by the late Justice Antonin Scalia and (in theory) the court’s current conservatives, is that the meaning of the Constitution depends on what the public thought its words meant when it was ratified. — Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 14 July 2026 Compared with protein, which lends itself to narratives of growth—more grams, more gains—fibre is a bit of a hard sell, likelier to be espoused by women in sensible shoes than by fitness junkies on Twitch. — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Originally then, a ‘cynic’ is simply someone who espoused the teachings of Antisthenes. — Theodore McDarrah, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for espoused

Adjective

On Monday, Hilton’s brother-in-law Tom, who is married to his youngest sister, shared an update on the blogger’s condition — and further details on the incident and his children’s situation — as a guest on The Perez Hilton Podcast With Chris Booker.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
London, who was married to hip hop legend Nipsey Hussle, would come together with Snoop again to honor Nipsey after he was murdered in 2019.

— Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of married

Verb

Europe ran the corresponding deficits, as many countries borrowed heavily abroad to rebuild economies devastated by war.

— MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
That strategy of producing scientific uncertainty delayed regulation for a generation, and the same playbook was later borrowed by other industries, including on climate change.

— Aleeza Gerstein, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of borrowed

Verb

Generally, the conferences covering the top teams in college sports have all adopted a similar stance in seeking to head off the NFL issue with the college football season set to begin with Week Zero games this weekend.

— Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
This time around, his administration has adopted burden shifting as a rallying cry and seems poised to act on it.

— JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of adopted

Adjective

Composed at Rose’s prompting and anticipating Flanagan’s extraordinary Pain Journal, the volume is so direct in its account of the couple’s conjugal life that the Indian authorities tossed its original print run into the ocean before the books could ship from Chennai to New York.

— Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Shortly after spurning his conjugal love tent vehicle, Colby received a call from Pontiac with a proposition.

— EW.com, EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Definition of conjugal

Verb

Warsh, despite his arrival as a disruptor of Fed protocol, embraced that summer-retreat spirit.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
For three decades, in an increasingly noisy and stress-filled world, Miraval Arizona has embraced its philosophy of Life in Balance, pioneering the concept of transformative wellbeing through mindfulness.

— Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of embraced

Adjective

Spouses generally inherit a minimum portion of the estate (usually one-third or two-thirds), though the right can be waived in a valid premarital or post marital agreement.

— Bob Carlson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Their new Netflix true crime docuseries, Death of the Pastor’s Wife, tells a marital horror story ending with the 30-year-old woman’s death.

— Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of marital

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“Espoused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espoused. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of espoused

adjective

verb

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