love affair

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR love affair ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a romantic relationship or episode between lovers; an amour.

an active enthusiasm for something: my love affair with sailing.

Nearby words

lovable, lovage, lovastatin, lovat, love, love affair, love apple, love arrows, love at first sight, love beads, love child

Origin of love affair

First recorded in 1585–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for love affair

He spoke with some heat, which was his wont in every allusion to Jack's love-affair.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, September, 1878|Various
She knew that this "at times" meant when Olive was deep in some love-affair.
Shadows of Flames|Amelie Rives
I left Zara, light of heart, three days after this event, horrified at the memory of my second love-affair.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi|Count Carlo Gozzi
But Boccaccio was a poet with a roistering proclivity, and truth to such a one in a love-affair is out of the question.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13|Elbert Hubbard

Was there not some love-affair of hers that you knew about?'
Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances|Juliana Horatia Ewing

British Dictionary definitions for love affair

love affair

noun

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

a great enthusiasm or liking for somethinga love affair with ballet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with love affair

love affair

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]