affectionate

affectionate — adjective

1. behaving in a way that shows you care deeply about someone, often through gentle

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

behaving in a way that shows you care deeply about someone, often through gentle words, hugs, kisses, or other warm physical contact.

Example

Wen is very affectionate with her grandmother and hugs her every morning.

affectionate with + person

Hana gave his daughter an affectionate kiss on the forehead before bed.

affectionate + noun (kiss, hug, smile)

Common collocations
  • very affectionate
  • affectionate hug
  • affectionate kiss
  • affectionate smile
  • affectionate letter
  • affectionate towards children
Synonyms
  • loving

    very close in meaning; slightly warmer and more emotional

  • warm

    broader; can describe friendliness, not only love

  • tender

    emphasises gentleness, often in a quiet or careful moment

  • fond

    milder; usually used in 'fond of' to describe liking rather than open warmth

Antonyms
  • cold

    showing no warmth or care

  • distant

    emotionally far apart, even with family or friends

  • aloof

    deliberately keeping away from close contact

Grammar Patterns

affectionate towards/with someone

Usage Note

Often used to describe people, pets, or actions (looks, words, gestures). When applied to actions or things, it means the action expresses warm feelings, not that the object itself feels them.

Common Mistakes

I am very affectionate to my work.
I am very devoted to my work.
'affectionate' is for warm feelings towards people or animals, not objects or activities.
He is affectionate of his children.
He is affectionate towards his children.
use 'towards' or 'with', not 'of'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe positive feelings towards another person, but they differ in intensity and how the feeling is shown. 'Affectionate' focuses on visible behaviour — hugs, kisses, gentle words — that makes warm feelings clear to others. 'Loving' is closest in meaning but suggests deeper, longer-lasting emotion, often within a family or romantic bond. 'Warm' is broader and can describe a friendly stranger or a kind welcome, not only love. 'Tender' highlights gentleness in a particular moment, like a parent holding a sleeping baby. 'Fond' is milder, usually appearing in 'fond of', and points to mild liking rather than open warmth. Compare: an affectionate father hugs his child every day; a loving father would also stay up all night when she is ill; a warm teacher greets every student by name.

affectionate ↗loving ↗warm ↗tender ↗fond ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • affectionate towards children
  • affectionate with each other
  • deeply affectionate man

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From the Latin noun 'affectio' meaning a feeling or mental state, which gave Old French 'affection' and entered English in the 1400s. The adjective 'affectionate' appeared in the 1500s, first describing someone strongly inclined towards a person or cause, then narrowing to its modern sense of showing warm love or care.