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

• 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”; affect ¹, -ion

Origin of affection¹

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

Example Sentences

Locals in Pawleys Island have a special affection for classic vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal

It treats gift-giving not as a theatrical display of affection but an opportunity to serve one another.

From The Wall Street Journal

And expect further public displays of financial affection from arms companies awaiting the administration’s final verdict on Golden Dome contracts, which will likely be announced in early 2026.

From Salon

Australians had organically adopted "Bom" as a term of affection, like a nickname for a friend, he said.

From BBC

What made the musical so fresh was the inventive manner in which Mr. Groff made his own personal affection for Darin a new and crucial ingredient in a familiar recipe.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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