affectionate
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of affectionate
First recorded in 1485–95; affection 1 + -ate 1, on the model of passionate
Explanation
Being affectionate is being warm, tender, and loving. A hug is an affectionate gesture. Affectionate words and actions show love, liking, or compassion. Kissing on the cheek, holding hands, and hugging are all affectionate. Parents and children, teachers and students, brothers and sisters — they can all be affectionate to each other. It's hard to fake being affectionate, so we tend to be affectionate to people we genuinely like.
Vocabulary lists containing affectionate
Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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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.
Affectionate fans venerate the dialogue’s electric crackle and the cast’s peerless comedic timing.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026
Affectionate and a little bemused, with plenty of recent interviews hot off the tape, “Wild” is fresh meat, sometimes delectable, sometimes hard to chew.
From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2022
Affectionate robots have the potential to comfort, teach and connect us to new experiences – as well as manipulate us in ways we’ve not quite encountered before.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2018
Affectionate robots have the potential to comfort, teach and connect us to new experiences — as well as manipulate us in ways we’ve not quite encountered before.
From Washington Post • Sep. 18, 2018
So thinks thy Timid & Affectionate Brother, Evidence Goring My dear Fruition — I have done my Good Work for today & shall set it down.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
