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 of infatuation

• crush

Examples of infatuation in a Sentence

had a brief infatuation with the captain of the ski team

Recent Examples on the Web

Malcolm is a serious drag on the much more together Violet, but also spends his days rehashing his past infatuation with Cassandra. —John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026

The inspiration for the rose scent, specifically, stemmed from Rutherford’s own infatuation with the flower. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 21 Mar. 2026

The recent public infatuation with Bessette-Kennedy’s minimalistic ’90s style has been pervasive to say the least. —Grace McCarty, Glamour, 13 Mar. 2026

Once Jeremiyah Love comes off the board — possibly in the top five — the infatuation ends. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026

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