Polyamory (from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús) 'many', and Latin amor 'love') is the practice of, or desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved.

In polygamy, one person has multiple partners, whereas, in polyamory, both the partners are allowed to take multiple lovers or one lover. Polyamory means having multiple lovers and polygamy means having multiple spouses. Both are unconventional, uncommon practices in contemporary Western society.

adjective. poly·​am·​o·​rous ˌpä-​lē-​ˈa-​mə-​rəs. -​ˈam-​rəs. : involving, having, or characterized by more than one open romantic relationship at a time : marked by polyamory.

Polyamory is the philosophy and practice of loving multiple people at the same time in an open, honest way. It emphasizes the choice of how many partners one wishes to be involved with instead of adhering to more commonly accepted social norms.