affinity

noun af·fin·i·ty \ ə-ˈfi-nə-tē \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: affinity in a Sentence

Definition of affinity

plural affinities

1 : relationship by marriage

2 a : sympathy marked by community of interest : kinship

She has an affinity to him because of their common musical interests.

b (1) : an attraction to or liking for something

people with an affinity to darkness
—Mark Twain

pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other
—Abby Mandel

(2) : an attractive force between substances or particles that causes them to enter into and remain in chemical combination

c : a person especially of the opposite sex having a particular attraction for one

3 a : likeness based on relationship or causal connection

found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman
—Mary McCarthy

this investigation, with affinities to a case history, a psychoanalysis, a detective story
—Oliver Sacks

b : a relation between biological groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin

See affinity defined for English-language learners

See affinity defined for kids

Examples of affinity in a Sentence

Jefferson's personal debts continued to mount … . His addiction to French wine, like his affinity for French ideas, never came to grips with the more mundane realities. —Joseph J. Ellis, American Heritage, May/June 1993
… neither virus has an affinity for T cells. —Robert C. Gallo, Scientific American, 1987
Animals sharing this basic architecture may have no closer affinity than a beetle and a squid. —Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, 1985
There's always been an affinity between us.
He never felt any affinity with the other kids in his neighborhood.

Recent Examples of affinity from the Web

Much like Hepburn, the Duchess has a growing affinity for the house of Givenchy.

— chrissy rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Duchess Meghan Channels Audrey Hepburn for Royal Ascot Debut," 19 June 2018
And because the playhouse stage is a wide, deep, square floor-level arrangement, Playhouse on Park has a special affinity for shows set on city streets.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "A Highly Entertaining, Energetic 'In the Heights' At Playhouse On Park," 18 June 2018
Weinberg loves all of the items in his shop, but has a special affinity for a particular piece.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / Chicagoans / Politics Daniel Weinberg loves Abraham Lincoln (and especially Abraham Linclon) more than you do," 12 Apr. 2018
Lynch also has a special affinity with the younger players at the football camps.

— tim rohan, SI.com, "Marshawn Lynch Is Football’s Foremost Ambassador," 10 Apr. 2018
Not surprising, perhaps, considering Alsop’s affinity for Bernstein’s music, her closeness to him as a former protégé and the very fine state of the CSO these days.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "CSO at Ravinia review: Marin Alsop poetically launches Bernstein tribute," 13 July 2018
Finding American Inspiration Most of the Australians Billboard spoke to wanted to become musicians because of an affinity for American artists.

— Billboard, "The Down Underdogs: Australian Alternative Artists on Making it Big in America and at Home," 13 July 2018
Industry experts say Californians' continuing affinity for SUVs and pickup trucks is undermining the quest to reduce carbon emissions.

— dale kasler, sacbee, "California beats its 2020 goals for cutting greenhouse gases," 11 July 2018
The unpredictable Trump’s affinity for the leaders of NATO’s 28 other members carries the potential to further blur the lines between who is a friend and who is a foe.

— Washington Post, "Friend or foe at NATO? Who knows when Trump comes to dinner," 10 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of affinity

Middle English affinite, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French affinité, borrowed from Latin affīnitāt-, affīnitās, from affīnis "bordering (on), related by marriage, connected (with)" (from ad- ad- + fīnis "boundary, limit") + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at ¹final

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

affinity Synonyms

Synonyms

affection, aptitude, bent, bias, bone, devices, disposition, genius, habitude, impulse, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, turn;

Near Antonyms

allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disinclination, dislike, disliking, disrelish, distaste;

detachment, impartiality, neutrality, objectivity;

apathy, disinterestedness, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern;

endowment, faculty, flair, genius, gift, knack, talent;

addiction, appetite, fancy, fondness, like, liking, preference, taste;

forte, speciality, specialty;

convention, custom, habit, pattern, practice (also practise), routine, trick, way, wont;

eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, kink, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularity;

Synonym Discussion of affinity

attraction, affinity, sympathy mean the relationship existing between things or persons that are naturally or involuntarily drawn together. attraction implies the possession by one thing of a quality that pulls another to it.

- felt an attraction to danger

affinity implies a susceptibility or predisposition on the part of the one drawn.

- an affinity for mathematics

sympathy implies a reciprocal or natural relation between two things that are both susceptible to the same influence.

- two minds in sympathy

AFFINITY Defined for English Language Learners

affinity

noun

Definition of affinity for English Language Learners

: a feeling of closeness and understanding that someone has for another person because of their similar qualities, ideas, or interests
: a liking for or an attraction to something
: a quality that makes people or things suited to each other