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

After the campaign hired him as a digital strategist, influencer Jordan Gonzalez amended a host of online posts to disclose his affiliation with the former attorney general. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

The willingness of apparel companies to pay more for affiliations with the nation’s most successful athletic programs. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

Please put political affiliations aside and support Maryland’s students. — Claudia Nachtigal, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2026

Lee Ann Rawlins Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. — Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 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