hypergamy

Noun

hypergamy (usually uncountable, plural hypergamies)

1. (usually) Act or practice of seeking a spouse of higher socioeconomic status or caste status than oneself.
   • From 1940 to the mid-1970s, the tendency for men to marry down educationally became more pronounced and the cultural ideal of hypergamy — that women must marry up — became more insistent.2012 November 2, Stephanie Coontz, “The M.R.S. and the Ph.D.”, in The New York Times
   • A lawsuit against David Geffen mentions a website where hypergamy — dating above your station — is celebrated. But the word carries darker intonations.2025 July 29, Jesse McKinley, “David Geffen’s Divorce Gives New Meaning to Hypergamy”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms:

   marry up

   Antonyms:

   hypogamy