affinity

American  

[uh-fin-i-tee] / əˈfɪn ɪ ti /

noun

affinities plural

1. a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.

   Synonyms:

   bent, leaning, sympathy, fondness, partiality

   Antonyms:

   aversion, dislike

2. a person, thing, idea, etc., for which such a natural liking or attraction is felt.

3. relationship by marriage or by ties other than those of blood (distinguished from consanguinity).

4. inherent likeness or agreement; close resemblance or connection.

   Synonyms:

   compatible, similarity

   Antonyms:

   disparity, dissimilarity

5. Biology. the phylogenetic relationship between two organisms or groups of organisms resulting in a resemblance in general plan or structure, or in the essential structural parts.

6. Chemistry. the force by which atoms are held together in chemical compounds.

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adjective

1. of or relating to persons who share the same interests.

   to arrange charter flights for opera lovers and other affinity groups.

affinity British  

/ əˈfɪnɪtɪ /

noun

1. a natural liking, taste, or inclination towards a person or thing

2. the person or thing so liked

3. a close similarity in appearance or quality; inherent likeness

4. relationship by marriage or by ties other than of blood, as by adoption Compare consanguinity

5. similarity in structure, form, etc, between different animals, plants, or languages

6. chem

   1. the tendency for two substances to combine; chemical attraction

   2.  A.  a measure of the tendency of a chemical reaction to take place expressed in terms of the free energy change

7. biology a measure of the degree of interaction between two molecules, such as an antigen and antibody or a hormone and its receptor

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affinity Scientific  

/ ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē /

1. A relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin.

2. An attraction or force between particles that causes them to combine, as the attraction between an antigen and an antibody.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonaffinity
  noun
• affinitive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• affinities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of affinity

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English affinite, from Middle French, from Latin affīnitās “connection by marriage”; equivalent to affine + -ity

Explanation

If you get along with someone very well, you have an affinity with them. Sometimes opposites attract, so you might feel a strange affinity to someone who is seemingly very different from you. When you are attracted to someone or something a great deal, we say that you have an affinity, a natural connection. Likewise, scientists use affinity to describe organisms that are alike or resemble each other. Interestingly, the Middle English word, affinite, originally applied to people who were connected or related by marriage, rather than by biology.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

affinity affinities

Underscoring their dual affinity: Two Mexican Americans played for the U.S. national team — one from Ciudad Juárez and another from El Paso — and two more played for the Mexican team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

“Our digital initiatives, new boutique openings and strategic marketing investments continued to drive increased awareness and widespread affinity for the Aritzia brand,” Wong said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

People there have a strong affinity to South Africa, linking their fight for independence from Sudan to the struggle against white-minority rule in South Africa.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

At this point in his public arc, his affinity for the material is more like a colonizing claim.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

They no longer had to pose as partners; or what amounts to the same thing, the posing reflected a deeply felt sense of affinity.

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

Sitting nearby and absorbed in a book is James Schuyler, a poet of the New York School with whom Porter shared intellectual and romantic affinities, and who lived with the Porters for an extended period.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

But the non-college-educated voters who have traditionally been his bedrock supporters are facing so much financial strain these days that his cultural affinities, even when they’re somewhat authentic, just don’t cut it.

From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026

Kurds, while mostly Sunni, share cultural and linguistic affinities with Persians and have historically had less friction with the Iranian state than with fellow Kurds in Iraq and Turkey.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

One of the greatest plays of our time, Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia,” confronts Goethe’s “Elective Affinities” with our own elective affinities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

She was touched, sitting across from him in a cafe and feeling between them the warm affinities of something shared.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• affection
• closeness
• fondness
• leaning
• rapport
• sympathy
• weakness