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fondness

American  
[fond-nis] / ˈfɒnd nɪs /

noun

  1. the state or quality of being fond.

  2. tenderness or affection.

  3. doting affection.

  4. a liking or weakness for something.

    He has a fondness for sweets.
    Synonyms:
    preference, partiality, predilection

  5. Archaic. complacent credulity; foolishness.

Other Word Forms

  • self-fondness noun

Etymology

Origin of fondness

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; fond 1, -ness

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.