1. A reference to being unmarried: A celebate person is someone who has taken a vow or made an earnest promise to live a life without getting married; especially, for religious reasons or as a personal decision: Unlike Catholic priests, preachers or ministers of other Christian groups are not required to be single when they teach their congregations the Word of God.

Ted's wife chose to live a celibate life after he died. 2. Descriptive of anyone who abstains from doing anything that is immoral or wrong and who is honest and exhibits goodness and correctness of character and behavior: Christians certainly are expected to live moral or celibate lives and so they get married, may have legitimate children, and are examples of those who who live by Christian principles that express what is just, honest, and honorable.

1. Someone who is not married for personal reasons or as a religious commitment or promise: James and Jane dated each other for two years in high school and they pledged to stay celibate until they were married and they were very thankful that they remained celibate because after they discontinued their relationship, they married different partners when they got older.

After her fiancé was killed in an automobile accident, Susan vowed to remain a celibate for the rest of her life.

2. Anyone who is totally lacking in romantic attachments to any members of the opposite gender or even those of the same gender: The hermit lived as a celibate, isolated from contact with other people and living totally alone on a small island.

There are some adults, for one reason or another, who figure that the disadvantages of marriage outweigh the advantages and so they are celibates, in that they never marry; however, those who live with someone of the opposite or the same gender without marrying, do not necessarily live as celibates.

Although the primary meaning of celibate is "unmarried", no one should with any logical basis refer to a single man or woman as being a celibate simply because he or she has made no legal marital commitments.

Only that adult who persistently avoids, or is denied, all romantic encounters with the opposite, or the same, gender may be called a celibate.

4. Etymology: from Latin caelibatus, from caelebs, caelib-, "unmarried". © ALL rights are reserved.

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A marriage in which little or no love-making activity occurs between two spouses: There are some married couples who have celibate marriages because they have different work schedules, have demanding and busy lives, as a result of old age, or for a variety of other reasons.

A feature of a Catholic celibate marriage, or Josephite marriage, is the agreement to abstain from participating in intimate activities as a mutual decision.

Sometimes, celibate marriages, or "spiritual marriages", may also take place later in life after raising a family so the couple can fully dedicate themselves to serving the humanitarian objectives of their church.

Referring to anyone who is not dedicated to being married or who is having sensual relations with an unmarried individual: Jan knew a woman who was having an intimate relationship with a so-called non-celibate priest in her church.