Meaning & use
aficionado
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Meanings
nouncountable
Someone with deep knowledge and a strong enthusiasm for a particular activity, art or hobby.
Grammar: Often followed by of: an aficionado of jazz.
Patterns
- an aficionado of something
- a something aficionado
He is a true aficionado of old jazz records.
Wine aficionados gathered for the tasting.
The shop is a favorite among coffee aficionados.
nouncountablespecialist
A devoted fan of bullfighting, the Spanish sense from which the word comes.
Grammar: Original Spanish use; rare in English.
The aficionado applauded the matador's skill.
Aficionados filled the arena in Seville.
Word forms
| plural | aficionados |
|---|
Common combinations
- wine aficionado
- The wine aficionado could name every vineyard.
- an aficionado of jazz
- She is an aficionado of jazz.
- cigar aficionado
- The shop is popular with every cigar aficionado in town.
- film aficionado
- A film aficionado spotted the reference.
- avid aficionado
- He is an avid aficionado of vintage cars.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enthusiast
- Enthusiast stresses passion, while aficionado also implies real knowledge.
- connoisseur
- Connoisseur suggests refined judgment of quality, whereas aficionado focuses on devotion.
- buff
- Buff is informal and often used with a subject, as in a history buff, and sounds lighter than aficionado.
- fan
- Fan is the everyday word for admirers, while aficionado implies deeper expertise.
Opposites
Word family
- afición noun
- the Spanish word for fondness, the source of the English term
- aficionada noun
- the Spanish feminine form, rare in English
Commonly confused: aficionado or afficionado?
aficionado vs afficionado
This is a common misspelling; the correct spelling has a single f in the middle: aficionado.
Practice
A coffee aficionado is most likely someone who ___.
Choose one answer.
An aficionado is both knowledgeable and passionate. The other options do not show enthusiasm and knowledge.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aficionado”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.