dalliance
Americannoun
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dalliances
plural
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a trifling away of time; dawdling.
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amorous toying; flirtation.
noun
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waste of time in frivolous action or in dawdling
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an archaic word for flirtation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dalliance
First recorded in 1300–50, dalliance is from the Middle English word daliaunce. See dally, -ance
Explanation
A dalliance is a playful flirtation, one that might lead to a casual romance. The king's public dalliance toward the lady in waiting shocked everyone in the court except for the queen. First appearing in Middle English, the noun dalliance stems from the verb dally, meaning "to waste time, to act playfully, especially in a flirtatious way." Dalliance often describes a casual flirtation — generally something short-term and not very serious. Your aunt may blush when you mention her dalliance with the rugby player she met that time in Dublin. Dalliance can also refer to goofing off when you should be working. Your coworker's continued dalliance can result in missed deadlines.
Vocabulary lists containing dalliance
The Downstairs Girl
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Henry V
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark," Act 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even if England fall short once again, this is now a team built to compete rather than enjoy a brief dalliance with success.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
And in the small role of Bianca, with whom Cassio has a dalliance, the terrific Rebecca Ana Peña makes a fiery impression, savagely fighting back against Iago’s brutality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
It turned out to be nothing but a brief dalliance for the couple, who struggled with the area’s punishing heat.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Because the whole Musk empire is still reeling from that dalliance.
From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2025
Again my hope for a storybook dalliance was thwarted by the fact that the stream was only about six inches deep.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
And in any case, this piece is engaging quite specifically with that songwriting, not with her celebrity dalliances.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2024
Henry, though, has had dalliances with other baseball teams.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2023
My college experience lent itself to brisk dalliances, but my tight group of friends prioritized our sisterhood over serious relationships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
Jazzy dalliances and an abrupt ending didn’t ultimately detract from the concerto’s absorbing sound world.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
She teases Faris and Dex and the others about their dalliances, but not me.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
