endearment

[ en-deer-muhnt ]

/ ɛnˈdɪər mənt /

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See synonyms for endearment on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of endearing.

the state of being endeared.

something that endears; an action or utterance showing affection: to murmur endearments.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of endearment

First recorded in 1605–15; endear + -ment

Words nearby endearment

end bulb, endcap, end-consumer, endear, endearing, endearment, endeavor, endeavors, endeavour, Endecott, endemic

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

How to use endearment in a sentence

In our texts we exchanged mutual endearments in words and emojis.
Alaska’s Attorney General on Unpaid Leave After Sending Hundreds of “Uncomfortable” Texts to a Young Colleague|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News|August 25, 2020|ProPublica
Bae,” for example, is a term of endearment that is either short for “baby” or an acronym for “before anyone else.
Feminist, Bae, Turnt: Time’s ‘Worst Words’ List Is Sexist and Racist|Samantha Allen|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
(She addresses me in various terms of endearment, as one would an old friend, and invites me to swim in her pool after lunch).
Gail Sheehy Books Passage to the Past|Lizzie Crocker|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The thing that pops into my head is the Shirley MacLaine quote from Terms of Endearment,” said Emmerich.
‘The Americans’: Noah Emmerich on Playing Stan Beeman, ‘Jane Got a Gun,’ and More|Jason Lynch|May 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Terms of Endearment got made because Polly Platt was so persistent.
Larry McMurtry: How I Write|Noah Charney|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
My mom remembers us actually watching Terms of Endearment with my father when he was sick.
Speak, Faulty Memory: Why Memoir Writing Is Harder Than You Think|Dave Bry|April 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
All these things are matter of course to all Frenchmen, who are never at a loss for civility and terms of endearment.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
He never let fall a syllable of endearment, yet Carry and the children read something in his face which said more.
Alone|Marion Harland
She uttered a mild preliminary oath of endearment and suddenly ceased speaking.
The Fiend's Delight|Dod Grile
The words of endearment, withheld so severely in his waking hours, were inexpressibly sweet to her forlorn and hungry heart.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy
The endearment is so plaintively inept that she smiles in spite of herself, and resigns herself to indulge him a little.
You Never Can Tell|George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for endearment

endearment

/ (ɪnˈdɪəmənt) /

noun

something that endears, such as an affectionate utterance

the act or process of endearing or the condition of being endeared

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

endearment

Origin of endearment

Words nearby endearment

Words related to endearment

How to use endearment in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for endearment