celibate
ˈsɛlɪbɪt
Definition Synonyms

Definition of celibate - Reverso English Dictionary

Adjective

faith vowunmarried, choosing to avoid intimate relations, often for spiritual reasons
  • He remained celibate for years as part of his religious commitment.
free unconfined

Noun

1.
abstinence choiceperson who abstains from marriage and sexual relations
  • The celibate dedicated his life to spiritual pursuits..
abstainer
2.
religionperson not married due to religious vows
  • The monk is a celibate.
ascetic monk nun
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Expressions with celibate

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person unable to find a romantic or sexual partner
He identified as an involuntary celibate in the online forum.

Origin of celibate

Latin, caelebs (unmarried) + -ate (suffix)

Terms with celibate included in their meaning

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religion
celibate lay person in Opus Dei

Examples of celibate in a sentence

  • The priest remained proudly celibate despite social pressure to marry.
  • The celibate took a vow of chastity.
  • As a celibate, he avoided romantic relationships.
  • He lived as a celibate in the monastery.
  • The nuns took vows to remain celibate.

View all translations of celibate

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:chaste, abstinent, ...
  2. German:zölibatär, Zölibatär, ...
  3. Italian:casto, ...
  4. Spanish:célibe, persona célibe, ...
  5. Portuguese:celibatário, ...
  6. Chinese:守贞的, 禁欲者, ...
  7. Japanese:独身禁欲の, 独身主義者, ...
  8. Arabic:عَفِيف, عَزَب, ...
  9. Hebrew:נְזִירִי, פָּרוּשׁ, ...
  10. Russian:безбрачный, целибат, ...
  11. Ukrainian:целібатний, целібат, ...
  12. Hindi:ब्रह्मचारी, अविवाही, ...
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