fiance

IPA/fiˈɒnseɪ/
KK[fiˈɑnsˌe]IPA/fiːˈɑːnsˌeɪ/

fiance — noun

1. the man that a person has agreed to marry, from the time of the engagement until

1.nounB2
Definition

the man that a person has agreed to marry, from the time of the engagement until the wedding day.

Example

Salma proudly introduced her fiancé to her grandmother at the family dinner last Sunday.

possessive: her fiancé

Camila and her fiancé spent the weekend choosing flowers and a cake for their summer wedding.

common pairing: fiancé + wedding planning verbs

Common collocations
  • her fiancé
  • his future fiancée
  • meet someone's fiancé
  • introduce one's fiancé
  • former fiancé
Synonyms
  • betrothed

    old-fashioned and literary; rarely heard in everyday speech

  • husband-to-be

    informal and warm; common in spoken English and wedding magazines

  • groom

    narrower; refers to him only on the wedding day itself

Antonyms
  • fiancée

    the matching feminine form for the woman; not really an opposite, just the partner term

  • ex-fiancé

    a man someone was once engaged to but is not anymore

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] fiancé

fiancé of [person]

Usage Note

The English word is borrowed from French and is most often written with the accent: 'fiancé'. The matching word for the woman is 'fiancée' (with double 'e'). Once the wedding happens, both terms are replaced by 'husband' and 'wife'. Almost always appears with a possessive ('my', 'her', 'their').

Common Mistakes

She married her fiancé last year, so he is her fiancé now.
She married her fiancé last year, so he is her husband now.
after the wedding, use 'husband', not 'fiancé'.
My fiancé is a beautiful woman.
My fiancée is a beautiful woman.
for the woman, use the double-'e' spelling 'fiancée'.
They have been fiancés for three years.
They have been engaged for three years.
describe the relationship with the verb 'engaged', not the plural noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five can refer to a man heading toward marriage, but each fits a different setting. 'Fiancé' is the standard modern word in everyday speech, written invitations, and news stories. 'Betrothed' is old-fashioned and literary — you mostly meet it in novels or historical writing. 'Husband-to-be' is friendly and informal, popular in wedding planning blogs and casual speech. 'Groom' is narrower and refers specifically to the wedding day itself: the groom stands at the altar; he is no longer just a fiancé. 'Partner' is the broadest and most neutral, used by many couples whether or not they are engaged or married. Compare: Daichi proposed to Romi last spring, so Romi is now his fiancée; on the wedding day, he becomes the groom; before the proposal, she just called him her partner.

fiancé ↗betrothed ↗husband-to-begroom ↗partner ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • meet the fiancé
  • introduce one's fiancé
  • former fiancé
  • future fiancé

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchFrenchEnglish

Borrowed from French in the mid-19th century. The French word is the past participle of 'fiancer' (to promise, to engage), itself from Old French 'fiance' (a promise or trust), tracing back to Latin 'fidare' (to trust) — the same root as 'faith' and 'fidelity'. The accent over the 'e' is preserved from French, and English keeps the gendered pair: 'fiancé' for a man, 'fiancée' for a woman.