infatuate

verb

in·fat·u·ate | \ in-ˈfa-chə-ˌwāt

, -chü-ˌāt\

infatuated; infatuating

Definition of infatuate

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment

2 : to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration

infatuate

adjective

in·fat·u·ate | \ in-ˈfa-chə-wət

, -chü-ət\

Definition of infatuate (Entry 2 of 2)

: being in an infatuated state or condition

Other Words from infatuate What is the origin of infatuated? Example Sentences Learn More about infatuate

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What is the origin of infatuated?

Adjective

When we speak of someone being infatuated it very often is in relationship to that person having seemingly taken leave of his or her senses, especially in a romantic context (“he was so infatuated that he could not remember what day of the week it was”). This is fitting, as the word shares an origin with the word fatuous, which means complacently or inanely foolish. Both words come from the Latin fatuus (“foolish”), although fatuous is not often used in the romantic contexts in which we find infatuate. When used with a preposition infatuated is typically followed by with.

Examples of infatuate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Social media was instantly infatuated with the freshman congresswoman's latest stylish look—with some likening her to Olivia Pope, donning the figurative white hat. — Kerry Pieri, Harper's BAZAAR, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Perfect White Cape Blazer, We Salute You," 6 Feb. 2019 Jamie Lorente as Nano Another Money Heist alum, Jamie Lorente will star in Elite as Samuel’s brother, who also seems to be infatuated with Marina. — Marilyn La Jeunesse, Teen Vogue, "Meet the Cast of "Elite," Netflix's Thrilling New Mystery Series," 2 Oct. 2018 In the months before their rapture, the scooters puzzled, infatuated, and infuriated residents. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Electric scooters’ sudden invasion of American cities, explained," 7 Sep. 2018 Thale is infatuated with his psychologist, Dr. Agatha Matheson (Gretchen Mol) whose romantic past with Karl soured due to her work with psychics. — Samantha Nelson, The Verge, "George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers asks whether humanity deserves to be saved," 29 Nov. 2018 In the end, Goodspeed took the rejection hard, especially because she was infatuated with Abdul for years and modeled her appearance after her. — Jack Wisniewski, Fox News, "8 reality TV tragedies," 31 Aug. 2018 Arriving in the middle of Kanye's G.O.O.D. rollout, the couple's joint album is infatuated with power Everything Is Love, Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s surprise collaborative album, hit the internet on Saturday evening like a tidal wave. — Max Cea, Billboard, "With 'Everything Is Love,' Beyoncé and JAY-Z Flex on Kanye West and the World," 17 June 2018 Every December, the Kuehne family would visit New York, and Trip was infatuated with two locations: the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street. — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, "One Match, Two Paths: Taking Stock of Trip Kuehne and Tiger Woods 24 Years Later," 11 June 2018 Their 15-year-old daughter, Elsbeth, is overweight, soon to be bulimic, and infatuated with a bad-boy photographer. — Wendy Smith, BostonGlobe.com, "Post-Holocaust life follows an unsurprising American trajectory," 8 June 2018

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