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 of affiliation

• 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

The coaches, administrators, staff and athletes will have no affiliation with our colleges and universities but instead will be employed by their respective professional leagues. — Bruce Svare, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Currently, those judges in some parts of the state have a party affiliation, though most counties have made their probate court elections nonpartisan through local laws. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Yet studies have found that Democratic and Republican election officials generally administer elections impartially despite their party affiliations. — Thom Reilly, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Economic confidence across political affiliation has fallen this year, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment data. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for affiliation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation