Word Spy - starter marriage

starter marriage

n. A first marriage that lasts only a short time and that ends in a clean (i.e., no kids, no property, no acrimony) divorce. (Cf. starter home.)

Example Citation:

"The past ten years has seen a surge in what are now called 'starter' marriages, as ephemeral as spring."
—Lynn Darling, "For better and worse," Esquire, May, 1996

Earliest Citation:

Marriage and family experts — psychologists, sociologists, lawyers and clergy — are beginning to look at these brief young unions, seeing in their implications a barometer of society's attitudes about marriage and divorce. Some say starter marriages signal the need for more premarital counseling.
—Deborah Schupack, "'Starter' Marriages: So Early, So Brief," The New York Times, July 7, 1994

Category:

Marriage and Relationships

Posted on July 25, 1996