fondness
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being fond.
-
tenderness or affection.
-
doting affection.
-
a liking or weakness for something.
He has a fondness for sweets.
- Synonyms:
- preference, partiality, predilection
-
Archaic. complacent credulity; foolishness.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fondness
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at fond 1, -ness
Explanation
Fondness is love or affection for someone. Your fondness for your funny Spanish teacher might be part of what inspires you to work hard in his class. When you have a fondness for a person, you feel warm or tender toward them. Your sister's fondness for young children probably makes her a great babysitter. You can also have a fondness for a thing: your friend's fondness for expensive shoes could cause her constant financial difficulty, and your fondness for cupcakes might influence you to learn how to bake.
Vocabulary lists containing fondness
Love Letter Words for Valentine's Day
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The River
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Novel Study: The Jungle Book, "The White Seal"–"Parade Song of the Camp Animals"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Fondness for hamburgers is not one of them.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 18, 2023
Fondness for Soviet troops stationed in eastern Germany, he said, became the “basis for an intense nostalgia or sentimentality.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 15, 2022
Fondness for something in the context of relentless, multi-front attacks can make it take on deeper intensity.
From Salon • Aug. 25, 2021
March 20 Calipari Has Fondness for New Orleans In town for the first two rounds of the N.C.A.A. tournament, Kentucky Coach John Calipari has a fondness for the city of New Orleans.
From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2010
Fondness for possessions always entails curse, and external riches thus become a source of internal poverty.
From George Müller of Bristol And His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing God by Pierson, Arthur T. (Arthur Tappan)
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.
