affection

affection — noun

1. a warm feeling that makes you care about a person, animal, or place and want to

1.nounB2
Definition

a warm feeling that makes you care about a person, animal, or place and want to be close to them.

Example

Grandma stroked the cat with obvious affection while it purred on her lap.

with + affection (manner phrase)

Omar has a deep affection for the small village where he grew up.

affection for + place noun

Common collocations
  • deep affection
  • genuine affection
  • show affection
  • feel affection
  • with affection
Synonyms
  • fondness

    very close in meaning; slightly milder and more casual than affection

  • warmth

    emphasises the friendly feeling shown in tone or behaviour, not just the inner emotion

  • attachment

    stresses a long-term bond; can also apply to objects or habits

Antonyms
  • dislike

    general opposite; covers people and things

  • coldness

    describes the absence of warm feeling in someone's manner

Grammar Patterns

affection for + noun

with affection

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable in this sense. Frequently follows the pattern 'affection for [person/place]' and pairs with verbs like 'feel', 'show', and 'have'.

Common Mistakes

I have many affections for my hometown.
I have a lot of affection for my hometown.
affection is uncountable here, so use 'a lot of' or 'great', not plural 'affections'.

2. the loving emotions one person directs toward another, especially in a romantic

2.nounB2
Definition

the loving emotions one person directs toward another, especially in a romantic context.

Example

Two young men were competing for Elena's affections at the summer dance.

compete for + someone's affections

After the divorce, Hassan's affections quickly turned toward a colleague at the bank.

affections turn toward + person

Common collocations
  • win someone's affections
  • gain someone's affections
  • capture someone's affections
  • lose someone's affections
  • transfer affections
  • object of his affections
Synonyms
  • love

    stronger and broader; 'affections' is more old-fashioned and literary

  • feelings

    general term; 'someone's feelings for X' is the everyday equivalent

  • heart

    metaphorical: 'lose your heart to someone' = give your affections

Grammar Patterns

someone's affections

Usage Note

Almost always plural in this sense and usually possessive ('her affections', 'my affections'). Distinguish from sense 1, which is uncountable singular and broader (covers places and animals too). Common in set phrases like 'win/gain/capture someone's affections', frequent in romantic novels and period dramas.

Common Mistakes

He gave his affection to another woman.
He gave his affections to another woman.
when talking about romantic love directed at a person, the plural 'affections' is the standard form.
He won her affection after many letters.
He won her affections after many letters.
in the set phrase 'win someone's affections' the plural form is conventional.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe positive feelings toward a person, animal, or place, but they differ in intensity and tone. 'Love' is the strongest and most general — it covers everything from family bonds to romantic passion. 'Affection' is gentler and more steady; it suggests warm caring without the emotional heat of love. 'Fondness' is milder still and often slightly playful, used for things like a fondness for old movies or a favourite niece. 'Attachment' shifts the focus to the bond itself rather than the warm feeling, and can sound clinical when describing children or pets. So you might say 'I love my mother', 'I have great affection for my old neighbour', 'I have a fondness for jazz', and 'the child has a strong attachment to her teddy bear' — each picking a different shade of warmth.

affection ↗love ↗fondness ↗attachment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • term of affection
  • sign of affection
  • object of affection
  • display of affection

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with great affection
  • show affection
  • feel affection
  • lavish affection on

Prepositions

  • affection for
  • affection toward
  • affection between

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Affection entered English in the 13th century from Old French 'affeccion', which came from Latin 'affectio' — a noun built from 'afficere' meaning 'to act on, influence, or move'. Originally it covered any strong emotion or state of mind that something stirred up in you, including illness ('an affection of the lungs'). Over the centuries the meaning narrowed to the warm, caring feelings we associate with the word today, while the medical sense became technical and rare.