fond

adjective \ ˈfänd \

Updated on: 28 Feb 2018

Definition of fond

1 : foolish, silly

fond pride

2 a : prizing highly : desirous —used with of

fond of praise

b : having an affection or liking —used with of

fond of music

fond of his nephew

3 a : foolishly tender : indulgent 1

a fond mother

b : affectionate, loving

absence makes the heart grow fonder

a fond embrace

4 : cherished with great affection : doted on

our fondest hopes

has fond memories of their time together

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Examples of fond in a Sentence

She still has fond feelings for him.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
He wished them a fond farewell.
the fond hope that the situation would change

Recent Examples of fond from the Web

In years to come, who’ll bring out that now-zero-balance gift card from Mom and Dad to tell fond tales of Christmases past?

— patt morrison, latimes.com, "How to deal with the presence of presents? It's truly a gift," 3 Nov. 2017
All parties confirmed this incident years ago, but Boehner’s fond recollection of upsetting McConnell is new.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Former House Speaker John Boehner’s Nastiest Comments About Fellow Republicans," 30 Oct. 2017
John’s always been really fond of, like, Visvim, Acronym, super high-end, exclusive brands.

— max berlinger, GQ, "John Mayer Celebrated His 40th Birthday with a Diamond-Encrusted Big Lebowski Necklace," 13 Oct. 2017
Your fond rebuke: silly paintings don’t come to life.

— james ellroy, Vanities, "James Ellroy’s Buzz M for Murder," 7 Oct. 2017
Perhaps Beethoven, ever fond of representing natural scenes, imagined the waves of the sea in a stormy night, whilst cries of distress are heard from afar.

— paavali jumppanen, WSJ, "The Maestro’s Bleakest Work," 6 Oct. 2017
More the the point, the films have thrust Johnson into the spotlight, a place that people seem fond of judging.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Dakota Johnson Feels Like People Judge Her Since Signing onto 'Fifty Shades'," 18 Sep. 2017
Most of all, evolution seems fond of using moonlight as mood lighting: Many species of all shapes and sizes use the moon’s ghostly irradiance, and its 29.5-day waxing and waning, to cue various phases of reproduction.

— National Geographic, "Sex, Death, and Pollination: How the Moon Changes Life on Earth," 6 July 2017
The actress added that revisiting the room brought back many fond memories.

— katherine schaffstall, The Hollywood Reporter, "Inside New York's 'Downton Abbey' Exhibit," 20 Nov. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of fond

Middle English fonned, fond, from fonne fool

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fond Synonyms

fond

verb

Definition of fond

intransitive verb

obsolete

: to lavish affection : dote

Origin and Etymology of fond

see ¹fond

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

fond

noun \ ˈfōⁿ \

Definition of fond

plural fonds play \ˈfōⁿ(z)\

1 : background, basis

2 : small particles of browned food and especially meat that adhere to the bottom of a cooking pan and are used especially in making sauces

After searing the steak, we noted the amount of fond (the residue of browned meat that sticks to the pan), which can be deglazed for a rich, flavorful pan sauce.
—Garth Clingingsmith

3 obsolete : fund