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affection

1 American  
[uh-fek-shuhn] / əˈfɛk ʃən /

noun

  1. fond attachment, devotion, or love.

    the affection of a parent for an only child.
    Synonyms:
    friendship, fondness, amity, friendliness, liking
    Antonyms:
    dislike

  2. Often affections

    1. emotion; feeling; sentiment.

      over and above our reason and affections.

    2. the emotional realm of love.

      a place in his affections.

  3. Pathology. a disease, or the condition of being diseased; abnormal state of body or mind.

    a gouty affection.

  4. the act of affecting; act of influencing or acting upon.

  5. the state of being affected.

  6. Philosophy. a contingent, alterable, and accidental state or quality of being.

  7. the affective aspect of a mental process.

  8. bent or disposition of mind.

  9. Obsolete. bias; prejudice.

affection 2 American  
[uh-fek-shuhn] / əˈfɛk ʃən /

noun

Obsolete.

  1. affectation.

affection British  
/ əˈfɛkʃən /

noun

  1. a feeling of fondness or tenderness for a person or thing; attachment

  2. (often plural) emotion, feeling, or sentiment

    to play on a person's affections

  3. pathol any disease or pathological condition

  4. psychol any form of mental functioning that involves emotion See also affect 1

  5. the act of affecting or the state of being affected

  6. archaic inclination or disposition

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What are other ways to say affection?

Affection refers to fond attachment, as of one person to another. How is affection different from love and devotion? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

  • affectional adjective
  • affectionless adjective

Etymology

Origin of affection1

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin affectiōn- (stem of affectiō ) “disposition or state of mind or body”; affect 1, -ion

Origin of affection2

First recorded in 1525–35; affect 2 + -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While her affection for Kermit is true, the great joke of their affair is that he’s often portrayed as tolerating her instead of providing the full worship she demands – nay, deserves.

From Salon

The Greens responded by saying the post made clear Spencer's "affection" for the area and her "disappointment" that independent businesses were being crowded out.

From BBC

The goal is to dilute the influence of alumni with affection for the school’s traditions.

From The Wall Street Journal

To keep his affection, he expected her to change.

From Literature

But, privately, there has never been a great deal of mutual regard or affection.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.