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Glite Dictionary
spouse equivalent

spouse equivalent

7.0
A person who lives with someone as a couple without being married
  • noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : pareja de hecho
  • He referred to his long-term partner as his spouse equivalent when filling out official forms.

Examples

  • Some employers offer health benefits to the spouse equivalent of an employee.

  • Laws regarding the rights of a spouse equivalent can vary widely between countries.

  • She considers him her spouse equivalent.

  • Many people now have a spouse equivalent instead of a traditional spouse.

  • In her application for a mortgage, she listed her long-term boyfriend as her spouse equivalent to include him in the financial process.

  • The company allows benefits for both the employee's spouse and their spouse equivalent, which covers partners in long-term relationships.

  • When they travel, they refer to each other as spouse equivalents to simplify booking accommodations.

Synonyms

partner
vsspouse equivalent
878 1.1

A husband, wife, or long-term companion in a romantic relationship

restricts meaning to an unmarried person living in a long sexual relationship
significant other
vsspouse equivalent
33 3.3

A person you have a long romantic relationship with and often live with

specifies a long-term sexual cohabitation without legal marriage
domestic partner
vsspouse equivalent
4 3.9

A person you live with in a long-term romantic relationship but are not married to

highlights the sexual cohabitation aspect instead of general shared intimacy
spousal equivalent
vsspouse equivalent
7.5

A person you live with and have a long committed relationship like a husband or wife

focuses on long-term sexual cohabitation rather than likeness to marriage
cohabitant
vsspouse equivalent
  • NSFW
6.1

A person who lives with a romantic partner without being married

frames that person as equivalent to a married person rather than only a co-resident

How Marriage-Like

spouse
272 1.0
common-law marriage
  • Specialized
2 4.3
partner
878 1.1
spouse equivalent
  • NSFW
7.0
cohabitant
  • NSFW
6.1

Surface Forms

spouse equivalent singular
spouse equivalents plural

Morphology

spouse + equivalent

The meaning is directly and compositionally derivable from 'spouse' (marital partner) plus 'equivalent' (a counterpart or similar person): learners can infer it refers to someone who functions like a spouse though not legally married. This is a straightforward semantic combination found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely understand the intended sense (even if specific legal nuances might require context).

Etymology

Spouse equivalent comes from official forms and laws that needed a simple name for someone like a spouse but 'not legally married'. It joins spouse, meaning a married partner, and equivalent, meaning 'the same as', to show a long-term partner who has similar rights or benefits, so it now means 'a partner with the same standing as a spouse even if not married'.