affinity

[ uh-fin-i-tee ]

/ əˈfɪn ɪ ti /

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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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of affinity

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

SYNONYMS FOR affinity

1 partiality, fondness; sympathy, leaning, bent.

4 similarity, compatibility.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR affinity ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR affinity

1 dislike, aversion.

4 dissimilarity, disparity.

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

Can be confusedaffinity infinity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for affinity

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

His most famous stories are about boxers and horse racing, but he had an affinity for football, too.
The Night Vince Lombardi Lay Awake Brooding Over a 49-0 Win|W.C. Heinz|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then there's an affinity between us which God certainly manages.
The Landleaguers|Anthony Trollope
Yet this did not arise from any affinity between Blake and the then famous author of The Grave.
William Blake|Charles Gardner
More than this—they may be more than neutralized by undeniable marks of affinity.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies|Robert Gordon Latham
It is found that the influence of different acids on this action is proportional to their specific coefficients of affinity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2|Various
The carpets and wall paper had no affinity with each other, and both would have horrified an artist in home decoration.
Eyebright|Susan Coolidge

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 Formsaffinitive, 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

Word Origin and History for affinity

affinity

c.1300, "relation by marriage" (as opposed to consanguinity), from Old French afinité (12c.), from Latin affinitatem (nominative affinitas) "neighborhood, relationship by marriage," noun of state from affinis "adjacent," also "kin by marriage," literally "bordering on," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + finis "a border, an end" (see finish). Used figuratively since c.1600 of structural relationships in chemistry, philology, etc. Meaning "natural attraction" (as though by family) is from 1610s.

Medicine definitions for affinity

affinity

[ ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē ]

n.

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.

Science 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.