Married To: Standard Pattern
Married To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “married to” for a spouse and, figuratively, for being strongly committed or closely tied to an idea, job, or activity.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| spouse relationship | married to + person | Use “to” for the spouse. |
| strong figurative commitment or attachment | married to + idea/job/activity | Use “to” for the thing someone is closely committed to. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the spouse or the thing someone is strongly committed or tied to?
If yes: Use “married to.”
If no: If the intended relation is different, choose the preposition required by that separate construction.
Caveat: The figurative sense is an extension of the documented construction; context should make clear that no literal marriage is meant.
Examples
She is married to an architect.
“To” introduces the spouse.
The team is not married to the original schedule.
The figurative construction means strongly committed to it.
He became too married to one method.
The figurative pattern marks a close attachment to the method.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “married to” for a spouse and, figuratively, for being strongly committed or closely tied to an idea, job, or activity.
Style Boundary
“Married” can stand alone and has several grammatical environments; this page records the directly documented “to” pattern without excluding those uses.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- MARRIED TO SOMETHING — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Direct dictionary evidence for “married to” with a spouse and the figurative involvement pattern.