affinity

[ uh-fin-i-tee ]

/ əˈfɪn ɪ ti /

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See synonyms for affinity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural af·fin·i·ties.

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

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

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

inherent likeness or agreement; close resemblance or connection.

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.

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

adjective

of or relating to persons who share the same interests: to arrange charter flights for opera lovers and other affinity groups.

OTHER WORDS FOR affinity

1 partiality, fondness; sympathy, leaning, bent.

4 similarity, compatibility.

See synonyms for affinity on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR affinity

1 dislike, aversion.

4 dissimilarity, disparity.

See antonyms for affinity on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of affinity

1275–1325; Middle English affinite<Middle French <Latin affīnitās connection by marriage. See affine, -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM affinity

non·af·fin·i·ty, noun, plural non·af·fin·i·ties, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH affinity

affinity , infinity

Words nearby affinity

affine, affined, affine geometry, affine group, affinitive, affinity, affinity card, affinity fraud, affinity group, affirm, affirmance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use affinity in a sentence

Then I went to San Diego and started my first show at 21 at One America News, which has recently gotten a little bit more popular and some more headlines around it, of course, given the president’s affinity for it.
Full Transcript: Tomi Lahren on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’|Daniel Malloy|August 31, 2020|Ozy
If affinity audiences are floating users whose attention towards your products may falter at times, custom affinity audiences are anchored to your company.
How to use in-market audiences for better search campaigns|Harikrishna Kundariya|August 18, 2020|Search Engine Watch
All those who place ads on Google are allowed to address their affinity audiences through Gmail, video, display, and search efforts.
How to use in-market audiences for better search campaigns|Harikrishna Kundariya|August 18, 2020|Search Engine Watch
This effect “was driven by their intolerance for incongruent comments rather than an elevated affinity for congruent comments,” the researchers wrote.
The Anonymous Culture Cops of the Internet - Facts So Romantic|Jesse Singal|August 12, 2020|Nautilus

While this type of content doesn’t yield a huge amount of income in the short term, it does help to build brand affinity, and ultimately sales, in the long term.
Lessons from lockdown: Four content types that users really engage with|Edward Coram James|July 20, 2020|Search Engine Watch
He can use that affinity to build confidence for a Jacksonian approach to world chaos.
Rick Perry: America’s Next Top Strategist?|James Poulos|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That affinity has to come from somewhere besides just the entertainment value.
DJ Steve Aoki: To Cake or Not To Cake|Steve Aoki|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How did it come to be then that she would feel an affinity for Aurora and start to care for her?
The ‘Maleficent’ Screenwriter Also Wrote ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’|Kevin Fallon|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Where does your affinity for long, tracking shots come from?
Alfonso Cuarón On ‘Gravity,’ Creationists, and Bonding with Sandra Bullock Over Divorce|Marlow Stern|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jokes aside, the folksy, blunt-talking Republican had a real affinity and passion for the issue.
The Anguish of Alan Simpson, Tragic Hero of Immigration Reform|Eleanor Clift|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is there to be some mysterious affinity between chewing and the revolutions, especially the social revolutions of the future?
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
I don't doubt you will find more than one affinity if you are awakening; that is merely the mating instinct.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The striking resemblance of Kingia, in caudex and leaves, to Xanthorrhoea, cannot fail to suggest its affinity to that genus also.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Yet we are told that heat, motion, electricity and chemical affinity are the causes of mental and moral action.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward
In none of these particulars does man stand quite alone; in all of them an affinity with the lower animals exists.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for affinity

affinity

/ (əˈfɪnɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

(foll by with or for) a natural liking, taste, or inclination towards a person or thing

the person or thing so liked

a close similarity in appearance or quality; inherent likeness

relationship by marriage or by ties other than of blood, as by adoptionCompare consanguinity

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

chem

the tendency for two substances to combine; chemical attraction
a measure of the tendency of a chemical reaction to take place expressed in terms of the free energy changeSymbol: A

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

Derived forms of affinity

affinitive, adjective

Word Origin for affinity

C14: via Old French from Latin affīnitāt- connected by marriage, from affīnis bordering on, related

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for affinity

affinity

[ ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē ]

An attraction or force between particles that causes them to combine.

The attraction between an antigen and an antibody.

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

The selective staining of a tissue by a dye.

The selective uptake of a dye, chemical, or other substance by a tissue.

Scientific definitions for affinity

affinity

[ ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē ]

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

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

affinity

OTHER WORDS FOR affinity

OPPOSITES FOR affinity

Origin of affinity

OTHER WORDS FROM affinity

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH affinity

Words nearby affinity

Words related to affinity

How to use affinity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for affinity

Derived forms of affinity

Word Origin for affinity

Medical definitions for affinity

Scientific definitions for affinity