affinity

American  

[uh-fin-i-tee] / əˈfɪn ɪ ti /

noun

• affinities
  plural

1. a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.

   Synonyms:

   bent, leaning, sympathy, fondness, partiality

   Antonyms:

   aversion, dislike

2. a person, thing, idea, etc., for which such a natural liking or attraction is felt.

3. relationship by marriage or by ties other than those of blood (distinguished from consanguinity).

4. inherent likeness or agreement; close resemblance or connection.

   Synonyms:

   compatible, similarity

   Antonyms:

   disparity, dissimilarity

5. Biology. the phylogenetic relationship between two organisms or groups of organisms resulting in a resemblance in general plan or structure, or in the essential structural parts.

6. Chemistry. the force by which atoms are held together in chemical compounds.

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adjective

1. of or relating to persons who share the same interests.

   to arrange charter flights for opera lovers and other affinity groups.

affinity British  

/ əˈfɪnɪtɪ /

noun

1. a natural liking, taste, or inclination towards a person or thing

2. the person or thing so liked

3. a close similarity in appearance or quality; inherent likeness

4. relationship by marriage or by ties other than of blood, as by adoption Compare consanguinity

5. similarity in structure, form, etc, between different animals, plants, or languages

6. chem

   1. the tendency for two substances to combine; chemical attraction

   2. A. a measure of the tendency of a chemical reaction to take place expressed in terms of the free energy change

7. biology a measure of the degree of interaction between two molecules, such as an antigen and antibody or a hormone and its receptor

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affinity Scientific  

/ ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē /

1. A relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin.

2. An attraction or force between particles that causes them to combine, as the attraction between an antigen and an antibody.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonaffinity
  noun
• affinitive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• affinities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of affinity

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English affinite, from Middle French, from Latin affīnitās “connection by marriage”; equivalent to affine + -ity

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Explanation

If you get along with someone very well, you have an affinity with them. Sometimes opposites attract, so you might feel a strange affinity to someone who is seemingly very different from you. When you are attracted to someone or something a great deal, we say that you have an affinity, a natural connection. Likewise, scientists use affinity to describe organisms that are alike or resemble each other. Interestingly, the Middle English word, affinite, originally applied to people who were connected or related by marriage, rather than by biology.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

affinity affinities

While recovering, his English degree and natural affinity for mentoring younger people directed him toward teaching.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

But beyond the exclusive entrée, Coppola — only on her third feature, but already known for her affinity for youth culture — would bring Marie Antoinette a jouissance the history books had never afforded her.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Our churches will surely resolve their objective differences more readily if the faithful harbor mutual affinity and a sincere desire for unity, as expressed through prayer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Green recalls having a real affinity with Alexander.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“I have a very strong affinity for them. They’re my parents, I mean, and we’re all part of each other’s harmony and everything,” Teddy said.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

But the non-college-educated voters who have traditionally been his bedrock supporters are facing so much financial strain these days that his cultural affinities, even when they’re somewhat authentic, just don’t cut it.

From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026

The book instead is interested in the affinities the translators felt for these elusive texts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Kurds, while mostly Sunni, share cultural and linguistic affinities with Persians and have historically had less friction with the Iranian state than with fellow Kurds in Iraq and Turkey.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

One of the greatest plays of our time, Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia,” confronts Goethe’s “Elective Affinities” with our own elective affinities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

But it was from the difference between us, not from the affinities and likenesses, but from the difference, that that love came: and it was itself the bridge, the only bridge, across what divided us.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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Related Words

• affection
• closeness
• fondness
• leaning
• rapport
• sympathy
• weakness

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