fondness

noun

fond·​ness ˈfän(d)-nəs How to pronounce fondness (audio)
1
obsolete : foolishness, folly
2
: tender affection
3
: appetite, relish
had a fondness for argument

Examples of fondness in a Sentence

my fondness for you will never fail I have a fondness for expensive chocolate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
None of them will remember this corner of Brittany with much fondness. Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 July 2025 To the initiated, this is really Paul Poiret exploiting his fondness for strong, rich color and bold design, through the medium of his ‘Martine’ shop. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 7 July 2025 Abe Beam describes this New York haunt with real fondness—a truly genuine homage. Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 4 July 2025 The rooms smelled of gas and damp, there was a box of matches to light the stove, an unfamiliar brand of liquid soap for washing dishes—that, too, my mother recalled with fondness. Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for fondness

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fondness was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fondness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fondness. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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