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

Examples of infatuation in a Sentence

had a brief infatuation with the captain of the ski team

Recent Examples on the Web

For the 20-teens (specifically 2015-2020), that infatuation came in the form of Spotify playlists. —Sam Saideman, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025

When that uncle, Roy Wood, became the first Black news announcer on a white Chicago radio station, DeJohnette gained access to an endless supply of jazz records that fueled an early infatuation with the genre. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2025

The trailer tees up his infatuation rom-com style before spinning into explosive action. —Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025

When Denji first sees Reze’s face, the sun breaks through the clouds in a burst of light in a goofy but endearing metaphor for his instant infatuation. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 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