affinity

noun af·fin·i·ty \ ə-ˈfi-nə-tē \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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

Sloane Stephens, a Plantation resident and South Florida native, has an affinity for the Miami Open.

— chris perkins, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Sloane Stephens rallies to earn berth in Miami Open final," 30 Mar. 2018
There is a special affinity a track and field coach can have for a strong relay team.

— dave southorn, idahostatesman, "With top time in the nation, Boise State’s relay team eyes another first | Idaho Statesman," 8 Mar. 2018
Like that little girl, Cortez has had a lifelong affinity for classic cars.

— nicole miller-coleman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "More women driving toward automobile clubs," 3 Mar. 2018
Feisty and spirited, Ruth was strong-willed, had a unique sense of humor, an immeasurable love of family, and a strong affinity for cooking and shopping.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Ruth Federman," 24 Feb. 2018
That could include disturbing messages written on school assignments or social media, verbal threats, a sudden affinity for camouflage or warrior clothing, or an obsession with weapons.

— jill tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Barricade that door’ — in wake of Florida massacre, Oakland school staffers train for worst," 16 Feb. 2018
Lee had a strong affinity and admiration for Chock and Bates because her daughter, Trinity, had trained in Novi in 2013, and Chock and Bates had helped her tremendously.

— jeff seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Novi Olympians to send 'hope and unity' message by skating to John Lennon's 'Imagine'," 16 Feb. 2018
Some people are born with a natural talent for music, or a genius-level affinity for math, or supernatural good looks.

— emily farra, Vogue, "My Sister’s Keeper," 5 Feb. 2018
But their indignation is directed not at a president who has once again demonstrated his bizarre, deeply rooted affinity for Putin.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Republicans Don’t Care About the Russia Scandal. They Just Want Trump to Be a Better Liar.," 22 Mar. 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

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