affectionate

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /əˈfɛkʃənət/ See IPA manual

Freq #14096

Meanings

1

adj
Showing fondness or love towards others.

They are an affectionate couple who hold hands everywhere.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · showing fondness or love... warm loving tender

More ardent attached caring cordial devoted earnest fond friendly good-natured goodhearted heartfelt hearty

Opposites

callous heartless

Word family

Derived forms affectionately affectionatenessdisaffectionateinaffectionatenonaffectionatepseudoaffectionateunaffectionate

Related forms affect affectation affecter affection affective

Etymology

Either from the above adjective by metanalysis or from affection + -ate (verb-forming suffix) (modelled on Middle French affectionner (French affectionner)).

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# affectionate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /əˈfɛkʃənət/
**Frequency rank:** 14096

## Meanings
1. Showing fondness or love towards others.

## Examples
- They are an affectionate couple who hold hands everywhere.

## Synonyms
- ardent
- attached
- caring
- cordial
- devoted
- earnest
- fond
- friendly
- good-natured
- goodhearted
- heartfelt
- hearty

## Antonyms
- callous
- heartless

## Derived Forms
- affectionately
- affectionateness
- disaffectionate
- inaffectionate
- nonaffectionate
- pseudoaffectionate
- unaffectionate

## Related Forms
- affect
- affectation
- affecter
- affection
- affective

## Etymology
Either from the above adjective by metanalysis or from affection + -ate (verb-forming suffix) (modelled on Middle French affectionner (French affectionner)).

## AI Etymology
Affectionate is either from the above adjective by metanalysis or from affection plus -ate (verb-forming suffix) (modelled on Middle French affectionner (French affectionner)). The formation is semantically transparent: the parts remain visible, while the compound or affix fixes the grammatical role and narrows the modern meaning. In use as an adjective, affectionate denotes showing fondness or love towards others. The same word family continues in derived forms such as affectionately, affectionateness, disaffectionate, and inaffectionate and related entries such as affect, affectation, affecter, and affection.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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