noun
-
something that endears, such as an affectionate utterance
-
the act or process of endearing or the condition of being endeared
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of endearment
Explanation
Next time you cringe when a family member calls you by your childhood nickname in public, remember, Snoopy, it's just a term of endearment — meant to show affection, not make you miserably embarrassed. When you break apart the word endearment, you probably recognize the word endear, a verb that means "to make admired or beloved." The suffix -ment can turn a verb into a noun, so endearment is something that shows affection or admiration, like calling someone "my love" instead of his or her name or playfully whacking your brother on the head when you walk by where he sits, doing his homework.
Vocabulary lists containing endearment
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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:
They teased me and called me Dogface, a term of endearment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Aidar had called the capybara “princess” in a way that sounded like a term of endearment for all female capybaras, so I asked for the capybara’s formal name.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
"I've never really thought of it as an insult, more a term of endearment," he says.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
This was despite her explaining that in Dominican culture terms like “mi vida,” “mi amor” and “babe” are common terms of endearment, and asking if it was OK that she use them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025
My dad uses his favorite term of endearment for my mom—my soul, my life—and pats the air with his palm down, a quieting gesture.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
The word “Paul” became my substitute for endearments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
Ah, Valentine’s Day … A day for cardiac-themed tokens, embossed endearments and sugary sweet love — or, in other words, conversation hearts.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
“You can even use the person’s terms of endearments in your self-compassion self-talk to marshal in the person’s presence,” Abdullah says.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2022
They visit a Chalazian karaoke bar on a Thursday “Father/Daughter Nite,” where they read endearments off a screen, just as the other fathers and daughters in attendance do.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2021
For an hour or two every Thursday, when Jalil came to see her, all smiles and gifts and endearments, Mariam felt deserving of all the beauty and bounty that life had to give.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
