fond
1 Americanadjective
-
fonder,
comparative
-
fondest
superlative
-
having a liking or affection for (usually followed byof ).
to be fond of animals.
-
loving; affectionate.
to give someone a fond look.
-
excessively tender or overindulgent; doting.
a fond parent.
-
cherished with strong or unreasoning feeling.
to nourish fond hopes of becoming president.
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Archaic. foolish or silly.
-
Archaic. foolishly credulous or trusting.
- Synonyms:
- gullible
adjective
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predisposed (to); having a liking (for)
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loving; tender
a fond embrace
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indulgent; doting
a fond mother
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(of hopes, wishes, etc) cherished but unlikely to be realized
he had fond hopes of starting his own business
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archaic
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foolish
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credulous
-
noun
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the background of a design, as in lace
-
obsolete fund; stock
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of fond1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fond, fonned “foolish, silly” (past participle of fonnen “to be foolish”
Origin of fond2
First recorded in 1655–65; from French; see origin at fund
Explanation
To be fond of something is to like it. Sports fans are fond of sports. Oddly, this adjective can also mean foolish and silly. We're all fond of some things and people: the things and people we like. Being fond can mean anything from liking something a little ("I'm fond of that band") to be extremely, almost absurdly interested in something ("He's a little too fond of football"). This word sometimes implies foolishness and absurdity: almost like you love something so much that you've lost your mind. But usually being fond is a good thing: it just means you enjoy something.
Vocabulary lists containing fond
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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We Were Liars
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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:
Lynch was fond of the straightforwardness of a diner, and he considered them to be ideal for creative thinking and work meetings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The president, played by Jeff Daniels, emerges as focused, canny, charming and witty in this fond portrayal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Many customers came over to the table to pick up a shirt and share the many fond memories of the eatery with Wong-Young.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The couple moved to the village in 2011 with Bowler's wife hoping to replicate her fond memories of going to the beach every day when she lived in Cape Town, South Africa.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Simon— she called him Simon now, imagine that!—had parted with fond good-nights and mutual words of admiration for each other’s pluck in a tough spot.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Nat., fonds latin, No. 4270, fol. 14-16, 29-30, 35, 120, 148.--Coll.
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea
Tak care neaw one fonds that chilt, Dolly, if they break in.
From The Lancashire Witches A Romance of Pendle Forest by William Harrison Ainsworth
I wish our fonds were well oot of them, and in yird and stane, which is a constansie.
From The Ayrshire Legatees, or, the Pringle family by John Galt
I really believe," Mrs. Westgate continued, "that the most charming girl in the world is a Boston superstructure upon a New York fonds; or perhaps a New York superstructure upon a Boston fonds.
From An International Episode by Henry James
Some day, said our colleague, the infernal genius who directed those intrigues and le bailleur de fonds will be known.
From Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men by Robert Grant
Those fonder of Hawthorne the magical realist will have plenty to appreciate as well, not least of which that Donatello’s true ancestry—whether human or faun—is never definitively established.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Growing fonder and fonder of Maude, Harold shares with her that when he isn’t attending funerals for fun, he likes to go to demolition sites and scrap yards.
From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2026
You can sit this one out, and see if absence makes the sisters grow fonder of each other.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 27, 2025
Absence from the Champions League had made Arsenal's heart grow fonder and this victory was well worth that six-year wait.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2023
His voice softens when he talks about her—he is no longer the toughened leader of this compound, but an old man, reflecting on some fonder past.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
One of the album's highlights, it's essentially the Madonna origin story - and one of her fondest memories.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Some of Debbie Israel’s fondest memories as a young girl are the times she spent with her father at synagogue praying on the Sabbath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Sir Billy has now released four limited edition works under his Born On A Rainy Day series, recalling some of the fondest memories from his life.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025
“The years of ‘Your Special Day’ of one-on-ones with each grandkid are some of their fondest memories,” the family said in her obituary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
If anything, it was Camilla he seemed fondest of, Camilla he bent over attentively when she spoke, Camilla who was most often the recipient of his infrequent smiles.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
