infatuate

[ verb in-fach-oo-eyt; adjective noun in-fach-oo-it, -eyt ]

verb (used with object)

, in·fat·u·at·ed, in·fat·u·at·ing.

1. to inspire or possess with a foolish or unreasoning passion, as of love.
2. to affect with folly; make foolish or fatuous.

adjective

1. infatuated.

noun

1. a person who is infatuated.

infatuate

verb

1. to inspire or fill with foolish, shallow, or extravagant passion
2. to cause to act foolishly

adjective

1. See infatuated
   an archaic word for infatuated

noun

1. literary.
   a person who is infatuated

Other Words From

• in·fatu·ator noun
• self-in·fatu·ated adjective
• unin·fatu·ated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of infatuate¹

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin infatuātus, past participle of infatuāre. See in- ², fatuous, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of infatuate¹

C16: from Latin infatuāre, from in- ² + fatuus fatuous

Example Sentences

If you’re in a similar situation and are infatuated with moss, you can do the same.

From Popular-Science

Her narrator’s experiences in the translation box raise some of the same questions as Edna O’Brien’s novel “The Little Red Chairs,” which imagines the life of a woman briefly infatuated with a man she doesn’t realize is Radovan Karadzic.

From Washington Post

Infatuate, who from such a good estrange Your hearts, and bend your gaze on vanity, Alas for you!

From Project Gutenberg

But he had an infatuate haughtiness as to the impossibility of his retreating, and as to his right to dictate your course.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet we urge it on, mindless and infatuate, and plant the ill-ominous thing in our hallowed citadel.

From Project Gutenberg

Will it be believed that the infatuate Master Cino spent the rest of the night in a rapture of poetry?

From Project Gutenberg

After a month of these a fastidious writer may well infatuate a reviewer.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• admirer
• boyfriend
• companion
• girlfriend
• suitor
• sweetheart

More About Infatuate

What does infatuate mean?

To infatuate is to strongly affect someone in a way that causes them to be absorbed with an extreme passion, especially in a way that makes them foolish or unreasonable about it.

Infatuate is especially used in a passive way—we usually say that a person is infatuated by someone or something, rather than saying that someone or something infatuates a person.

The state of being infatuated is infatuation. This is often used to refer to the state of someone who has fallen in love with a person without really knowing them. But it can refer to any obsessive or passionate focus, such as on an activity or goal. A person who’s affected this way can be described with the adjective infatuated.

The word infatuation can also refer to the object of this focus, as in Who’s that you’re staring at—your latest infatuation? Someone or something considered an infatuation can be described as infatuating—meaning it has the power to infatuate.

Very rarely, infatuate can be used as an adjective meaning infatuated or as a noun meaning an infatuated person.

Example: She’s usually infatuated by her crushes to the point that she can’t see their flaws.

Where does infatuate come from?

The first records of the word infatuate as a verb come from the 1500s. It comes from the Latin verb infatuāre, from fatuus, meaning “fatuous” or “foolish.”

When it’s used in the context of a romantic interest, an infatuation is often like an intense crush—someone who infatuates you consumes your every thought. The word is often used in a critical way that implies that such an interest is foolish or impulsive, as in You’re confusing being in love with being infatuated. Describing someone with the adjective infatuated implies that they’re not thinking straight.

Still, attraction to someone often begins with infatuation, and the same can be said for hobbies that you develop a passion for. In this context, infatuate isn’t usually used negatively. It simply means that something has inspired a consuming passion or fascination, especially one that’s in its beginning stages, as in My kids go through a lot of interests, and these days it’s robotics that they’re infatuated with.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to infatuate? 

• infatuated (past tense verb, adjective)
• infatuating (continuous tense verb, adjective)
• infatuation (noun)

What are some synonyms for infatuate?

• fascinate

What are some words that share a root or word element with infatuate? 

• fatuous

What are some words that often get used in discussing infatuate?

• love
• crush
• obsession
• passion
• desire
• foolish
• interest
• object
• newest
• latest

How is infatuate used in real life?

When used in the context of a romantic interest, infatuate is usually used negatively. When it’s used in the context of a passion or fascination with an activity or hobby, it’s usually used more positively.

What it is about the color red that infatuates Pedro Almodóvar? 🌹https://t.co/h7K6x6BSnR

— NOWNESS (@NOWNESS) May 16, 2020

He helped me feel less crazy as someone in the sciences infatuated by the humanities.

— Jeb Ralston (@Jeb_R) July 30, 2020

How lucky am I to be studying something that completely and utterly infatuates me!! I am beyond blessed ♡♡♡

— Carly Hughson (@CarlyHughson) January 18, 2018

 

 

Try using infatuate!

Is infatuate used correctly in the following sentence?

I was infatuated by her immediately, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her for weeks.