infatuation

American  

[in-fach-oo-ey-shuhn] / ɪnˌfætʃ uˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the state of being infatuated.

2. the act of infatuating.

3. foolish or all-absorbing passion or an instance of this.

   a mere infatuation that will not last.

4. the object of a person's infatuation.

   When I was a kid, my infatuation was stamp collecting.

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infatuation British  

/ ɪnˌfætjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of infatuating or state of being infatuated

2. foolish or extravagant passion

3. an object of foolish or extravagant passion

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Usage

What does infatuation mean? Infatuation is the state of being infatuated—being absorbed with an extreme passion for someone or something, especially in a way that makes you foolish or unreasonable about it.Infatuation 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 as 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.Much less commonly, infatuation can refer to the act of infatuating.Example: Your infatuation with him is clouding your judgment.

Etymology

Origin of infatuation

First recorded in 1640–50, infatuation is from the Late Latin word infatuātiōn- (stem of infatuātiō ). See infatuate, -ion

Example Sentences

The fetishized infatuation with “Heated Rivalry” doesn’t just stop at the characters; it’s now extending to the actors as well.

From Salon

Marianne is first consumed by her own infatuation, then disconsolate when Willoughby dumps her for an heiress, and finally felled by a fever.

From The Wall Street Journal

Qian wrote poems about social responsibility, with lines such as: "We must love the elderly with the infatuation of a first romance."

From BBC

And I’m newly humble about my vulnerability to the kind of AI infatuation and isolation that has appeared in all-too-many tragic headlines.

From The Wall Street Journal

The premium could be worth it as long as AI infatuation continues.

From Barron's

Related Words

• fascination
• obsession