Meaning & use
affectionate
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Showing love or warm feeling through hugs, kind words or gentle behavior.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb; often followed by toward or with: affectionate toward children.
Patterns
- affectionate toward someone
- affectionate with someone
My grandmother is a warm, affectionate woman.
The puppy is very affectionate with strangers.
He gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder.
adjectivebefore a noun
Expressing fond feeling, as of a message, nickname or memory.
Grammar: Describes things like words, looks or letters: an affectionate nickname.
Patterns
- an affectionate nickname
- an affectionate farewell
They called him by an affectionate nickname.
She wrote an affectionate letter to her old teacher.
The film is an affectionate tribute to the town.
Word forms
| comparative | more affectionate |
|---|---|
| superlative | most affectionate |
Common combinations
- affectionate toward
- The cat is surprisingly affectionate toward visitors.
- an affectionate hug
- The twins shared an affectionate hug at the station.
- affectionate nickname
- Dad's affectionate nickname for me is Sunshine.
- warm and affectionate
- He was a warm and affectionate father.
- affectionate glance
- She cast an affectionate glance at her sleeping son.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loving
- Loving is stronger and suggests deep, lasting love, while affectionate often describes outward gestures.
- tender
- Tender stresses gentleness and care, especially in moments of closeness.
- fond
- Fond is usually followed by of and shows liking, not necessarily physical warmth.
- demonstrative
- Demonstrative means freely showing feelings openly, and can sound more neutral or even slightly critical.
Opposites
Word family
- affection noun
- a gentle feeling of fondness
- affectionately adverb
- in a warm, loving way
- affectionateness noun
- the quality of being affectionate
- unaffectionate adjective
- not showing fondness
Commonly confused: affectionate or affected?
affectionate vs affected
Affected can mean influenced or artificial in manner; it does not mean loving. Affectionate always involves warm feeling.
Practice
Our dog is very ______ and loves to curl up next to anyone on the sofa.
Choose one answer.
Affectionate fits an animal that seeks gentle closeness. Anxious, aggressive and indifferent are real adjectives but do not match curling up with people happily.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “affectionate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.