affectionate
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- affectionately adverb
- affectionateness noun
- pseudoaffectionate adjective
- quasi-affectionate adjective
- unaffectionate adjective
Etymology
Origin of affectionate
First recorded in 1485–95; affection 1 + -ate 1, on the model of passionate
Explanation
Being affectionate is being warm, tender, and loving. A hug is an affectionate gesture. Affectionate words and actions show love, liking, or compassion. Kissing on the cheek, holding hands, and hugging are all affectionate. Parents and children, teachers and students, brothers and sisters — they can all be affectionate to each other. It's hard to fake being affectionate, so we tend to be affectionate to people we genuinely like.
Vocabulary lists containing affectionate
Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But like all families, there's a lot of affectionate mockery.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Narrated by Liev Schreiber, this five-part series is an affectionate and amusing look at the sport and its colorful participants.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
George’s cluckingly affectionate aunt wants to enfold Hedda in a tradition that would consign her to the role of wife and mother.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
“We’re known for being very romantic, affectionate people,” she explains.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026
He swooped me upright but kept one arm over my shoulder—they are all like that, those Beaufort-Stuarts, affectionate as puppies, dead casual about it.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
