love affair

noun

1. a romantic relationship or episode between lovers; an amour.

2. an active enthusiasm for something.

   my love affair with sailing.

love affair

noun

1. a romantic or sexual relationship, esp a temporary one, between two people

2. a great enthusiasm or liking for something

   a love affair with ballet

Word History and Origins

Origin of love affair¹

First recorded in 1585–95

Idioms and Phrases

An intimate sexual relationship, as in They had a torrid love affair many years ago . This expression dates from about 1600, when it referred merely to the experiences connected with being in love. The current sense dates from the second half of the 1800s.

A strong enthusiasm, as in We can't ignore America's love affair with the automobile . [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Cinema has a long love affair with the office but occasionally spotlights blue-collar workplaces.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But Hindemith’s “Sancta Susanna,” with its startling love affair between a nun and her maid servant, titillated German audiences at the start of the roaring twenties, and still can.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Smith’s rock star trajectory is diverted by her love affair with Fred Sonic Smith, for whom she ditches her career at its height, against the advice of many of those closest to her.

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All these nuggets are drawn from “Unabridged,” in which Stefan Fatsis—a journalist, broadcaster and author—reflects on his love affair with the dictionary.

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Charting his passionate love affair with Elizabeth Taylor and his very public struggle with alcoholism, the play explores fame, ambition, and identity.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• adultery 
• affair 
• courtship 
• dalliance 
• devotion 
• fling 
• flirtation 
• infidelity 
• involvement 
• liaison 
• love 
• passion 
• relationship 
• tryst