fondness

noun

fond·​ness ˈfän(d)-nəs How to pronounce fondness (audio)
Synonyms of fondnessnext
1
obsolete : foolishness, folly
2
: tender affection
3
: appetite, relish
had a fondness for argument

Examples of fondness in a Sentence

my fondness for you will never fail I have a fondness for expensive chocolate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fred prefers to vividly demonstrate his fondness for embodying an AI emulation. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 Ines is a little dazzled by the older girl’s seeming worldliness and Hanna shows big-sisterly fondness for Ines, making her, along with her diary, the repository of her secrets. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2026 In its system card for Claude Mythos, for instance, Anthropicresearchers noted that the powerful AI exhibited a strange fondness for the British cultural theorist Mark Fisher. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026 The experience of portraying Creasy is one that the actor looks back on with fondness. Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fondness

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fondness was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Fondness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fondness. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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