aficionado
Americannoun
-
aficionados
plural
noun
-
an ardent supporter or devotee
a jazz aficionado
-
a devotee of bullfighting
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aficionado
First recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish: literally, “amateur,” past participle -ado ( see -ate 1) of aficionar “to engender affection,” equivalent to afición affection 1 + -ar infinitive suffix
Explanation
If you really like something and make it your business to study up on its history and characteristics, you could be called an aficionado of that subject. This sort of funny-looking word might seem like it needs a second “f,” but it really doesn’t, and you should hold out on the temptation to add another one. (The single “f” spelling is a result of the word’s Spanish heritage.) The word aficionado implies serious study and fervent interest, but you can think of it as just a fancy way to say fan. You could call yourself a football aficionado, for example, if you think that sounds more impressive than just saying you’re a football fan.
Vocabulary lists containing aficionado
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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.
See Examples For:
Shalini Dinesh, who lives in Austin, had already been an aficionado of Anthropic’s Claude when all the Meta Muse fanfare erupted online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
To the aficionado, however, it marked a milestone.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Enthusiasts found a powerful champion in famed comedian and auto aficionado Jay Leno, who boasts more than 150 vehicles in his personal collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was that exact spirit of inquiry, within an article about the history of the doo-wop revival, that caught the attention of another doo-wop aficionado from South Jersey.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
She was the first to speak and declared, “Any school that could produce such a well-rounded aficionado of ferns must be doing a superb job. I vote to keep Swanburne Swanburne!”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Kao was an unusual figure among the company’s low-key naval engineers and boat aficionados.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
First erected in the early 1960s as an advertising gimmick, these giants are rising again thanks to preservationists, kitsch aficionados and savvy entrepreneurs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
He went to bat for gummy aficionados during oral argument.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
Mr. Coyne excels at chronicling the many different ways golf enchants its aficionados.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
During the summer of 1955 Bobby serendipitously happened upon a gathering place for chess aficionados and, in so doing, raised his game to a whole new level.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
