infatuation

noun

in·​fat·​u·​a·​tion in-ˌfa-chə-ˈwā-shən 

-chü-ˈā-

plural infatuations

1

: a feeling of foolish or obsessively strong love for, admiration for, or interest in someone or something : strong and unreasoning attachment

She speaks openly about the real-life subject of one of her songs, a conservatory teacher who is both a neighbor in her apartment building and the unwilling object of her obsessive infatuation.

—Sasha Frere-Jones

Craig Claiborne wrote about it in 1963, when he was deep in his infatuation with dill and meatballs and all things Nordic.

—Amanda Hesser

2

: the object of an unreasoning or foolish attachment

And then, I began trying to forge their autographs. I'm not sure why I did it at first, but it became an infatuation.

—Zach Selwyn

Synonyms

• crush
• mash
• passion

Examples of infatuation in a Sentence

had a brief infatuation with the captain of the ski team

Recent Examples on the Web

My childhood reactions to television, sugar, praise, mood-altering chemicals, and, yes, romantic infatuation were epiphanic. —Hazlitt, 11 June 2025

Because for him, it’s always been this infatuation. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 June 2025

The prospect of ending two wars—one in Asia and one in Europe—coupled with his infatuation with the Nobel Peace Prize, may be enough to compel Trump to take such unprecedented steps. —Victor Cha, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2025

Elevated cortisol levels during romantic infatuation have been documented across multiple studies, suggesting that love initially activates the body's stress response, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. —Ximena Araya-Fischel, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing infatuation

• self-infatuation

Rhymes for infatuation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration