Affectionate

//əˈfɛkʃənət// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To show affection to; to have affection for. rare
  2. 2
    To emotionally attach (oneself) to. obsolete, reflexive

    "Plutarch saith fitly of those who affectionate themselves to Monkies and little Dogges, that […]."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having affection or warm regard; loving; fond.

    "She eulogised her always warm and affectionate brother."

  2. 2
    Characterised by or proceeding from affection; indicating love; tender. usually

    "the affectionate care of a parent; an affectionate countenance; an affectionate message; affectionate language"

  3. 3
    Eager; passionate; strongly inclined toward something. obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    having or displaying warmth or affection wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
lovingtenderadoringamiableamorousardent

Example

More examples

"My father was no less affectionate and tender to me than my mother was."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin affectiōnātus. By surface analysis, affection + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Doublet of aficionado.

Etymology 2

Either from the above adjective by metanalysis or from affection + -ate (verb-forming suffix) (modelled on Middle French affectionner (French affectionner)).

Related phrases

affectionate friendship

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.