Synonym Chooser

How does the noun affinity differ from other similar words?

The words attraction and sympathy are common synonyms of affinity. While all three words mean "the relationship existing between things or persons that are naturally or involuntarily drawn together," affinity implies a susceptibility or predisposition on the part of the one drawn.

an affinity for mathematics

When might attraction be a better fit than affinity?

While in some cases nearly identical to affinity, attraction implies the possession by one thing of a quality that pulls another to it.

felt an attraction to danger

When would sympathy be a good substitute for affinity?

In some situations, the words sympathy and affinity are roughly equivalent. However, sympathy implies a reciprocal or natural relation between two things that are both susceptible to the same influence.

two minds in sympathy

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affinity An affinity for rain and endless sunsets instead of four-lane highways. Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025 Thyme and mushrooms have a natural affinity, mostly because mushrooms are innately earthy and rich, and thyme is floral and woodsy. Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 29 Oct. 2025 Mulroney, who grew up in a small Quebec town, had an ideological affinity with the emerging trends of privatization and deregulation in 1980s Anglo-American conservatism. Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025 Authenticity and affinity now drive purchasing decisions more than advertising and price. Astha Bhardwaj, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for affinity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affinity
Noun
  • This aptitude for song and dance, combined with some friend-of-a-friend magic, was enough to get Taylor an audience with two people who would change her life.
    Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Mount’s defensive aptitude proved important in keeping United compact throughout, regularly dropping into vacant spaces to slow down any nascent attacks.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In Texas, kids taken into state custody leave a kinship placement twice as often as the nationwide rate, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal data tracking kids removed from their homes in a four-year period.
    Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Murphy, who like Steininger and Yurkevich has been exploring the question for its own sake, independent of his day job, feels a kinship across the centuries with Prince Rupert.
    Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Now the Dark Knight has always had some distinctly authoritarian tendencies baked into his tactics and mythology, as a Christopher Nolan movie or three made pretty clear.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Unfortunately, the songs have a tendency to drift towards a very similar sound, which stands out in the context of a project where everything else is so imaginative.
    Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Archdeacon, who now leads roughly 1,000 UC Health doctors as CEO of University of Cincinnati Physicians, later described the decision as a cost-saving move for the department that had nothing to do with his relationship with Stryker.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
  • This uneasy relationship was on display when Takaichi met Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in late October.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The inclination to avoid that threshold already impacted Denver’s decision not to sign a rookie contract extension with Peyton Watson last month.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Lin—whose early career at Zappos and mathematical inclinations molded him into an early backer of companies like Airbnb and DoorDash—has been at Sequoia since 2010.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The controllers’ union and Airlines for America (A4A), the commercial airlines’ trade association, declined to directly address the question of privatization when asked on Friday.
    Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Drew Maloney, the CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association of for-profit electric utilities, suggested that only some states are the drivers of higher average electric bills.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Since launching in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has remained one of the most popular games on mobile devices, accruing millions of daily players.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
  • On the hardware side over 10+ million devices have been built around a recovery phrase by default, entrenching a market expectation in which seed phrases are the go-to recovery method, even as some vendors add alternatives.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • It's never been more important to lead with empathy, prioritize well-being and preserve the human connections that make organizations thrive.
    Kelly Jones, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The day-to-day connection, because of the lack of memory, has changed.
    Lana Wilhelm, Flow Space, 5 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Affinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affinity. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on affinity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!