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
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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:
He returned in April to mark it 85th anniversary, where he spoke of his "fond memories" of the base.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
With fond memories of living in the condo complex in his 20s, the 43-year-old public employee decided to buy a two-bedroom unit, sight unseen, for $260,000 in July 2024.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
My brothers were particularly fond of one wooden ewe mounted on wheels, which gave her the jaunty appearance of a sheep who had recently discovered skateboarding.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Over the decades, fond memories start to jumble and fade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“But you, who are so extremely fond of it—there can be no danger, surely?”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Nat., fonds latin, No. 4270, fol. 125-8, 139.
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea
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
The fonds are the transverse valleys just mentioned—the channels, for the most part, of small water-courses which discharge themselves into the sea.
From The Galaxy Vol. 23, No. 1 by Various
Cold pheasant, boned turkey, fonds d'artichaut, bottled asparagus d'Argenteuil, cakes and wine jellies, with champagne to top it all off.
From I Walked in Arden by Jack Crawford
Nat., fonds latin, No. 4270, fol. 138-9, 213.
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea
But an audience will feel far fonder of Ms. Monaghan and Mr. De Niro, and even Mr. Keaton, if not his deeply twisted character.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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
The cliche that absence makes the heart grow fonder is apt here, in more ways than one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
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
If eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes in the company of Tony the Tiger is one of your fondest childhood memories, then you already know everything you need to know about the breakfast-cereal business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
It’s one of the earliest, fondest memories I have.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2025
Indeed, today, those evenings rank amongst my fondest memories from those times.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
