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Glite Dictionary
antenuptial

antenuptial

9.6
Happening or agreed before two people marry
  • adjective
  • /ˌæntɪˈnʌpʃəl/
  • UK
translation icon : antenuptial
  • Many couples choose to sign an antenuptial agreement to clarify their financial rights before marriage.
  • antenuptial agreement

Examples

  • The test of the validity of the contract thus does not turn on the subjective contemplation of the parties—a standard that would make it impossible to rely on any antenuptial agreement—but upon the objective language of the contract itself.

    Blog text (28)

  • We received a marriage license and antenuptial contract.

    The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

  • Antenuptial promises may, in some circumstances, fit this description.

    Academic text (2018)

  • While antenuptial agreements are a common legal arrangement made prior to a marriage, an increasing trend among already married spouses is to draft a postnuptial agreement.

    Blog text (17)

  • An antenuptial contract can help protect each spouse's individual assets in the event of a divorce.

  • The couple discussed the terms of their antenuptial agreement during their engagement.

Synonyms

premarital
vsantenuptial
21 3.9

Happening before marriage

is narrower, focused on specific events or agreements before marriage
prenuptial
vsantenuptial
17 6.5

Happening before marriage, often about agreements and wedding events

is more general, showing relation rather than arranged action
premarriage
vsantenuptial
4.4

Happening before a marriage to help people prepare for it

is more about events or agreements than about the time period

Antonyms

postnuptial
1 7.8

Happening after a marriage

Surface Forms

antenuptial positive

Morphology

antenuptial = nuptial (transparent) = ante + nuptial

The prefix 'ante-' clearly indicates 'before', making the meaning of 'antenuptial' easily derivable as 'before marriage'.

Etymology

The word antenuptial is made of ante- ('before') and nuptial ('marriage' or 'wedding'), like the similar word prenuptial. So, it describes events or agreements that happen before marriage.