To be exact, bigamy is a criminal offense used in court when a legally married individual marries a secondary or additional spouse after a prior legal marriage. By contrast, polygamy is when one has more than one spouse at the same time. read more
The striking difference with polygamy from bigamy is that when the polygamous head brings home more than one spouse, these spouses know of each others’ existence in the life of the household head. They are even considered to be part of one big family and are comfortable living together and sharing the love of their partner. read more
Bigamy is the act or condition of marrying one person while still being legally married to another, and it is generally the legal term used for the offense/crime. Polygamy is a broader, more generic term for multiple marriages and encompasses bigamy - it's not generally the word to use in a technical, legal context. read more
Bigamy has not been an offense committed by polygamists who traditionally have one official marriage license and multiple spiritual licenses. Indeed, the law targeted polygamy with the cohabitation provision precisely because there is a difference between the two. read more