English Meaning & Definitions
A man who knows of his wife's infidelity and tolerates it; a complacent cuckold.
- âIn Restoration comedies, the wittol was often portrayed as a laughable figure of ridicule who traded his honor for peace or financial gain.â
- âHe was no blind cuckold, but a self-aware wittol, choosing to ignore the whispers of the town for the sake of his social standing.â
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for âwittolâ.
Derived from Middle English 'witol' (meaning 'knowing' or 'wise'), from 'witen' (to know). Over time, the term came to specifically denote a husband who is aware of ('knows') his wife's infidelity but tolerates or acquiesces to it, contrasting with a traditional cuckold who is typically ignorant of the betrayal.
Think of 'wit-all': a husband who has the 'wit' (knowledge) of 'all' his wife's affairs, yet chooses to do nothing about it.
Frequently Asked Questions About âwittolâ
1. What is the meaning of âwittolâ in English?
In English, wittol (noun) is defined as: âA man who knows of his wife's infidelity and tolerates it; a complacent cuckold.â.
2. How do you use âwittolâ in a sentence?
âIn Restoration comedies, the wittol was often portrayed as a laughable figure of ridicule who traded his honor for peace or financial gain.â
3. What are English synonyms of âwittolâ?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of âwittolâ?
Derived from Middle English 'witol' (meaning 'knowing' or 'wise'), from 'witen' (to know). Over time, the term came to specifically denote a husband who is aware of ('knows') his wife's infidelity but tolerates or acquiesces to it, contrasting with a traditional cuckold who is typically ignorant of the betrayal.
ðŽð§More English Words to English
View all English words âA measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.