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affectionate

adjective
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af·​fec·​tion·​ate | \ ə-ˈfek-sh(ə-)nət How to pronounce affectionate (audio) \

Definition of affectionate

1 : feeling or showing affection or warm regard : loving affectionate friends an affectionate nickname
2 : motivated by affection : tender affectionate care
3 obsolete : inclined, disposed
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Other Words from affectionate

affectionately adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for affectionate

Synonyms

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Examples of affectionate in a Sentence

an affectionate child who gives hugs and kisses freely
Recent Examples on the Web Nino is a friendly and affectionate cat and will adjust well to a new home. — Arizona Republic, azcentral, "Hershey and more pets up for adoption in Phoenix-area shelters this week," 7 Feb. 2020 Suddenly, there's a frequent new presence in the house in Fernando (Fabián Corres), a television network accountant who strikes up an easy, mutually affectionate relationship with Valeria that leaves Rodrigo feeling usurped. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Summer White' ('Blanco de Verano'): Film Review | Sundance 2020," 27 Jan. 2020 As is typical with Biden, the applause after an hour of stump speech and questions was affectionate yet perfunctory. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, "Joe Biden’s Confounding Candidacy," 25 Jan. 2020 Plutarch described Alexander’s relationship with Philip as competitive but affectionate. — National Geographic, "Alexander the Great's warrior mom wielded unprecedented power," 3 Dec. 2019 The two, who have not confirmed their relationship status, were seen kissing and acting affectionate with each other in a video obtained by the outlet. — Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE.com, "Meet the New Celebrity Fall/Winter Couples of 2019," 17 Dec. 2019 Last night, the two were spotted getting affectionate and boo'd up. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons Show Rare PDA for Valentine's Day Date Night," 14 Feb. 2019 Your partner could be in a cheerful, affectionate mood and will appreciate every moment of extra attentiveness on your part. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Dec. 2, 2019: Taurus, networking pays off; Cancer, work harder to overcome money concerns," 2 Dec. 2019 One of Broadway's fiercest and, to some, most frustrating, actors lived a complicated life, and much of it is captured in this clear-eyed yet affectionate biography. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "82 new books for holiday gifts in 2019, from Prince to Susan Sontag," 22 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affectionate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of affectionate

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

History and Etymology for affectionate

partly borrowed from Medieval Latin affectiōnātus "inclined, disposed, well-disposed," from Latin affectiōn-, affectiō affection + -ātus -ate entry 3; partly formed from affection + -ate entry 3 after Middle French affectionné "having affection for," past participle of affectionner "to have affection for," derivative of affection

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Time Traveler for affectionate

Time Traveler

The first known use of affectionate was in the 15th century

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Statistics for affectionate

Last Updated

24 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Affectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affectionate. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for affectionate

affectionate

adjective
How to pronounce affectionate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of affectionate

: feeling or showing love and affection

See the full definition for affectionate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

affectionate

adjective
af·​fec·​tion·​ate | \ ə-ˈfek-shə-nət How to pronounce affectionate (audio) \

Kids Definition of affectionate

: feeling or showing a great liking for a person or thing : loving an affectionate friend

Other Words from affectionate

affectionately adverb She patted his head affectionately.

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More from Merriam-Webster on affectionate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for affectionate

Spanish Central: Translation of affectionate

Nglish: Translation of affectionate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of affectionate for Arabic Speakers

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