affordance

[ uh-fawr-duhns ]

noun

a feature of an object or environment that prompts or promotes a specific use or interaction, especially one easily perceivable to the user, as a doorknob:The indentations on a bar of chocolate are an affordance that makes use of our common knowledge that the thinnest parts of something are the most breakable.

Origin of affordance

¹

First recorded in 1875–80 in the sense “amount one can afford to pay”; current sense dates from 1965–70; afford + -ance

Words Nearby affordance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use affordance in a sentence

An affordance is a feature that offers garden-goers a chance to interact with a garden.
Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled | Elizabeth Picciuto | October 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Thus many designers reflect concern for an individualized approach to the understanding of affordance possibilities.
The Civilization of Illiteracy | Mihai Nadin

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