affection

¹ American  

[uh-fek-shuhn] / əˈfɛk ʃən /

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.

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affection ² American  

[uh-fek-shuhn] / əˈfɛk ʃən /

noun

Obsolete.

1. affectation.

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affection British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• affectional
  adjective
• affectionless
  adjective

Etymology

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”; see affect ¹, -ion

Origin of affection²

First recorded in 1525–35; affect ² + -ion

Explanation

Affection is the positive feeling you may have or express for other people or things. Your grandma may show her affection for you by pinching your cheek, and you may show your affection for your dog by rubbing her belly. Not everybody is good at showing affection to their loved ones, like old-school dads or tough guys in action movies. If people don't get enough affection, they crave it, and will go to great lengths to get it. You might say that affection is what Luke wanted from Darth Vader all along, in Star Wars.

Example Sentences

She’s aware she’s being betrayed by the bad faith of her family; she’s cognizant of being vulnerable to an inappropriate affection for the one person who trusts her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Marilyn White speaks of Maurice with great affection while eventually admitting that his philandering ended their relationship.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026

Whether the competition for influence and affection is good for everyday people is an entirely different question.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

“When he arrives at Southwark House as a terse, brusque, tricky man, you’ve already experienced his level of affection with his wife and that’s really important contextually,” Haig says.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Adams let it be known that his political disagreements with Jefferson had never killed his affection for the man.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

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