affiliation

noun

af·​fil·​i·​a·​tion ə-ˌfi-lē-ˈā-shən 

plural affiliations

: the state or relation of being closely associated or affiliated with a particular person, group, party, company, etc.

The radio station has maintained a longtime affiliation with the concert hall and often has featured performers as guests on the air.

A former Democrat, Joseph McCarthy had switched his affiliation and was elected in the Republican landslide of 1946 …

—Ted Widmer

… hundreds of businessmen owe their success to an affiliation with organized crime.

—William Bastone

Synonyms

• association
• partnership
• relationship
• collaboration
• cooperation
• connection

Examples of affiliation in a Sentence

the Little League team, despite its name, the Northern Dynamites, has no affiliation with the Northern Dynamite Company

Recent Examples on the Web

This is about names, and conference affiliation. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025

That sentiment is consistent across political party affiliations, according to the AARP. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025

Though there’s no affiliation to the restaurant of the same name in Gatlinburg, one thing both places have in common is their popularity and their excellent pancakes. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025

California has a jungle primary system, in which all candidates run against each other, regardless of party affiliation. —Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for affiliation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration