dalliance

noun

dal·​li·​ance ˈda-lē-ən(t)s 

: an act of dallying: such as

a

: play

especially : amorous play

had dalliances with several women before getting married

b

: frivolous action : trifling

had a brief dalliance with acting

Synonyms

• relaxation
• recreation
• fun
• amusement
• entertainment
• enjoyment

Examples of dalliance in a Sentence

an extremely serious scientist who is not much given to dalliance or idle chitchat

Recent Examples on the Web

But its recent dalliance with neo-Nazism — and, before that, with race relations in Musk’s native South Africa — made the chatbot an object of derision in the industry and among the broader public. —David Ingram, NBC news, 22 July 2025

Among them are Senator Gary Hart of Colorado in 1987, who seemed to flaunt his dalliances, and John Edwards in 2008 who lied about his affair. —Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025

Selena Gomez has went viral more than once for her hair transformations: A ’90s bob haircut revival that mirrored the look that made model Christy Turlington famous, a brief recent dalliance with a wolf cut and bangs. —Lorena Meouchi, Vogue, 17 July 2025

Right-hander Garrett Whitlock is a full-time reliever again after dalliances in the starting rotation in the past three years. —Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dalliance

noun

dal·​li·​ance ˈdal-ē-ən(t)s 

1

: play entry 1 sense 2

especially : the act of flirting

2

: action lacking in importance or seriousness

a short dalliance with politics