affectionate
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of affectionate
First recorded in 1485–95; affection 1 + -ate 1, on the model of passionate
Explanation
Being affectionate is being warm, tender, and loving. A hug is an affectionate gesture. Affectionate words and actions show love, liking, or compassion. Kissing on the cheek, holding hands, and hugging are all affectionate. Parents and children, teachers and students, brothers and sisters — they can all be affectionate to each other. It's hard to fake being affectionate, so we tend to be affectionate to people we genuinely like.
Vocabulary lists containing affectionate
Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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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.
Calling back to a “Ray of Light” track, Madonna refers to Lola as “little star” and then brilliantly examines the flipside of this affectionate nickname.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
The thought is prompted by the death this week of the movie critic Rex Reed, 87, who was the object of an affectionate appreciation by his friend Merin Curotto, who was Reed’s editor at Observer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
She appears in the files in FedEx parcel invoices and flight records and would often write affectionate emails to Epstein, telling him in 2016: "I always think of you. All my love always".
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Mr. Paul and his collaborators are clearly besotted lovers as well as knowledgeable students of the musicals they are spoofing, so the evening’s spirit is exuberantly affectionate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
He wasn’t that much more affectionate toward Olga, but she definitely tried harder.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
