as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
always had an affinity for nurturing living things
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Recent Examples of affinities
Szabo’s affinities are hardly a secret.
—
Alex Cuadros, ProPublica, 1 Apr. 2026
The caveat is jurors and audiences at home are not allowed to vote for their own country; geopolitical affinities or rivalries often supersede talent.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Players have to create teams that exploit a boss’ weakness in order to defeat them, and that means building up characters that have the right elemental affinities.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
The left-handed hitting right fielder known for his colorful personality and affinities for wrestling and Spider-Man totaled parts of 13 seasons in the majors with the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, Astros and Diamondbacks, playing his last game in 2021 and officially retiring in 2023.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 2 Mar. 2026
The driving rock guitars and layered vocal textures recall TV on the Radio’s experimentation, and Galanin shares certain vocal and political affinities with Moses Sumney.
—Petala Ironcloud, Pitchfork, 20 Jan. 2026
China’s global influence is further constrained by weak cultural affinities with other countries.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
If your affinities lean toward boutique accommodation, this darling 12-room property occupying an 1889-era school is just the ticket.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
Of course, Matthieu brings his own set of creative affinities, which are new and incredibly enriching, but not at the expense of existing relationships.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025
Alex Cuadros, ProPublica, 1 Apr. 2026
The caveat is jurors and audiences at home are not allowed to vote for their own country; geopolitical affinities or rivalries often supersede talent.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Players have to create teams that exploit a boss’ weakness in order to defeat them, and that means building up characters that have the right elemental affinities.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
The left-handed hitting right fielder known for his colorful personality and affinities for wrestling and Spider-Man totaled parts of 13 seasons in the majors with the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, Astros and Diamondbacks, playing his last game in 2021 and officially retiring in 2023.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 2 Mar. 2026
The driving rock guitars and layered vocal textures recall TV on the Radio’s experimentation, and Galanin shares certain vocal and political affinities with Moses Sumney.
—Petala Ironcloud, Pitchfork, 20 Jan. 2026
China’s global influence is further constrained by weak cultural affinities with other countries.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
If your affinities lean toward boutique accommodation, this darling 12-room property occupying an 1889-era school is just the ticket.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
Of course, Matthieu brings his own set of creative affinities, which are new and incredibly enriching, but not at the expense of existing relationships.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affinities
Noun
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While Heuermann could hold the key to previously-unknown details surrounding the inner workings of a serial killer’s mind, Burgess cautions the ability to work alongside the FBI could feed into any narcissistic tendencies that are frequently observed in the most heinous criminals.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Some have been critical of Chiu’s crowd-pleasing tendencies.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Samuel Alito’s inclinations have not been hard to discern lately.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Even in the present tense, the characters express no political opinions, taste in movies and music, hobbies—or backstories that shape such inclinations.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.—
GRACIA LIU-FARRER,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2025
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More money is apt to make homeschooling worse and far less tailored to the individual student and their interests and aptitudes by encouraging parents to substitute pricey group programs for the requisite effort of individualized instruction.—
Marie Sapirie,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Alienation of affections was largely recognized in the 1800s as a tort for when a female spouse was whisked away from her husband by a third party.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
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But anyone willing to consider the thicket of fears, affections and recriminations that grows through the cracks of a long relationship will find in these pages an almost unbearable tenderness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Affinities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affinities. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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