What does "dowry" mean?
Payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry
/ˈdaʊəɹi/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.
- Grammar: dowry is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ability, appanage, bride price, bump.
- Useful contrasts: no dowry, trousseau.
- Usage evidence: It used to be that a girl could only marry if she had a dowry.
How to use "dowry"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dowry" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dowry" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dowry" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dowry" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dowry" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ability" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dowry", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. countable, uncountable
- 2 money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage wordnet
- 3 Payment by the groom or his family to the bride's family. countable, uncommon, uncountable
"The family of the groom makes sure the new couple has a house to live in and land to cultivate; they will also pay for the dowry (crucial, for without dowry the new father has no rights over his children; Trouwborst 1962: 136ff.)"
- 4 Inheritance from a deceased husband to his widow. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 5 A natural gift or talent. countable, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A large amount. countable, informal, uncountable
"But no palace had so fair a ceiling; for from the wooden beams were suspended a whole dowry of copper vessels—pails, cauldrons, water pots, of every colour from lustrous black to the palest pink."
Verb
- 1 To bestow a dowry upon.
"1976, Graham Anderson, Studies in Lucian's Comic Fiction, Page 19"
Antonyms
no dowrytrousseau
Example
"It used to be that a girl could only marry if she had a dowry."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dowry"?
Common synonyms include: ability, appanage, bride price, bump, caliber, calibrate.
How do you use "dowry" in a sentence?
It used to be that a girl could only marry if she had a dowry.
How do you pronounce "dowry"?
Pronounced /ˈdaʊəɹi/.
Etymology
From Middle English dowarye, dowerie, from Anglo-Norman dowarie, douarie, from Old French douaire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs. Doublet of dower.