affection

¹

[uh-fek-shuhn]

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

[uh-fek-shuhn]

noun

Obsolete.

1. affectation.

affection

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• affectionless adjective
• affectional adjective

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of affection¹

C13: from Latin affectiōn- disposition, from afficere to _affect ¹

Example Sentences

The Frenchman handed him the role, a sign of affection that continued after the match on social media.

Read more on BBC

But there’s only so much an actor can do with outbursts and tearful platitudes of affection.

Read more on Salon

"That is, wow, that is very, very sweet of you to think about me this much, even if it's negative. In my industry, attention is affection, and you've given me a whole lot of it."

Read more on BBC

Bronstein needed an actor audiences immediately have a deep affection for to pull off her tricky tone.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"I heard you calling on the megaphone," she says, acknowledging how their romance began with Kelce publicly declaring his affection on his podcast in July 2023.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• care 
• closeness 
• desire 
• devotion 
• emotion 
• feeling 
• friendship 
• good will www.thesaurus.com
• kindness 
• love 
• passion 
• sentiment 
• tenderness www.thesaurus.com
• warmth 

When To Use

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.