affiliation

American  

[uh-fil-ee-ey-shuhn] / əˌfɪl iˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• affiliations
  plural

1. the act of affiliating; state of being affiliated or associated.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interaffiliation
  noun
• nonaffiliation
  noun
• preaffiliation
  noun
• reaffiliation
  noun
• superaffiliation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• affiliations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of affiliation

First recorded in 1745–55; from Medieval Latin affīliātiōn-, stem of affīliātiō “adoption”; equivalent to affiliate + -ion

Explanation

An affiliation is an official connection to something. To have an affiliation to something is to be affiliated with it. The Tea Party pretty clearly has an affiliation with the Republican Party. You can be connected to all sorts of things, but to have an affiliation is to have an official connection. A local church might have an affiliation with a larger religious organization. A bunch of small groups might share an affiliation with a larger one, as in the case of baseball teams and the leagues they belong to. Often you'll hear politicians denying any affiliation with certain groups, places, or companies, because they want to appear neutral. If you have an affiliation with something, you're likely to pay it extra attention.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

affiliation affiliations

A CNN spokesperson also objected to the "unauthorized" use of the network's branding, saying the videos "are not CNN content and have no affiliation with CNN."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Before the war he worked as a blacksmith, they said, and neither he nor anyone else in the family has a political affiliation, whether to Hamas or any other militant groups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

He knows he has his critics but the lifelong Democrat says he has enjoyed keeping New York politicians on their toes, regardless of party affiliation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Typically, state and federal officials work together to conduct joint investigations, share evidence, and pursue justice regardless of political affiliation.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

You must be prepared to change everything about yourself–shape, size, color, species affiliation, everything–and to do so repeatedly.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

But some of the tokens have remained relevant thanks to their affiliations with a procession of celebrities, personalities and politicians who issued them to cash in on their fame.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Even the public versions, which political parties and candidates routinely obtain to target ads and messages, included voters’ addresses, birth dates and party affiliations.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

A poll last year found no change in South Koreans' religious affiliations, with 16 percent identifying as Buddhist.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Additional company affiliations and potential conflicts of interest are detailed in the published study.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026

And so when Federalist leaders from New York approached him as a prospective candidate for the gubernatorial race, he indicated a willingness to switch party affiliations and run in his home state as a Federalist.

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

Related Words

• connection
• partnership
• relationship