affection
uh-FEK-shuhn
/əˈfɛkʃən/
A gentle feeling of fondness, warmth, or liking.
Deeper and warmer than mere liking, but less intense or passionate than romantic love.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'affectio', meaning a mental state or feeling produced by an influence. By Shakespeare's time, it came specifically to denote warm attachment and loving goodwill.
Word relationships
- warmth: Warmth describes an approachable attitude, whereas affection is a felt emotional bond.
- fondness: Fondness implies a tender inclination, often lighter than steady affection.
- antipathy: A deep-seated feeling of dislike or aversion.
Commonly confused with
- affectation: Affection is genuine warmth; affectation is fake or pretentious behavior.
Word family
- affectionate (adjective): Showing fondness or tenderness.
- affectionately (adverb): In a loving or fond manner.
Collocations
- deep affection
- mutual affection
- show affection
- win someone's affection
Idioms & expressions
- gain someone's affections
Example sentences
- "She held deep affection for her grandmother, who had raised her during childhood." Family relationships
Memory hook
Affection = Affected by love. Affection is warm connection.
When not to use
Do not use when referring to formal business relationships where 'regard' or 'esteem' is appropriate.
Fun facts
- In medieval medicine, an 'affection' meant any physical or mental state produced by external forces.
Explore more words
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.