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Synonym Chooser

How is the word affection distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of affection are emotion, feeling, passion, and sentiment. While all these words mean "a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation," affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings.

a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

How are the words emotion and feeling related as synonyms of affection?

Emotion carries a strong implication of excitement or agitation but, like feeling, encompasses both positive and negative responses.

the drama portrays the emotions of adolescence

When is feeling a more appropriate choice than affection?

Although the words feeling and affection have much in common, feeling denotes any partly mental, partly physical response marked by pleasure, pain, attraction, or repulsion; it may suggest the mere existence of a response but imply nothing about the nature or intensity of it.

the feelings that once moved me are gone

In what contexts can passion take the place of affection?

The meanings of passion and affection largely overlap; however, passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion.

revenge became his ruling passion

When would sentiment be a good substitute for affection?

In some situations, the words sentiment and affection are roughly equivalent. However, sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea.

her feminist sentiments are well known

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of affection Hardly anyone left after the final buzzer, sticking around to shower Iguodala with affection. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2025 The film is based on their own burgeoning musical relationship, which turned personal for a couple of years after its release, and their quick glances at each other during the tender song indicates undeniable mutual affection. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025 Physical displays of affection among the remaining members were apparently unheard of, over the years… until the final show, when there was at least a modicum of a PDA among the very reserved Brits. Chris Willman, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025 Drag queens and Latinx celebrity impersonators have long brought their version of the late singer to the stage, mimicking her slow, creaky walk, elegant posture and rage-filled vocal delivery with affection. Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for affection
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affection
Noun
  • Eudora Welty Jackson, Mississippi Because her father fostered her curiosity, and her mother passed on her love for the arts, Southern writer Eudora Welty was destined to be a creative soul from the beginning.
    Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Toward the end of his monologue, the comedian began talking about his love for historical documentaries, specifically Ken Burns’ Civil War special.
    Emily Longeretta, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease that can cause serious health complications, including death, especially in children under 5.
    Jaden Amos, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
  • And if that wasn’t bad enough, in extremely rare circumstances, neurologic fallout from measles is delayed, showing up 7 to 10 years post-infection as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a degenerative disease that is ultimately fatal, Dr. Lovins says.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The combination of IoT and AI enables connected devices to collect, analyze and act on data in real-time.
    Rahul Saluja, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Just in time for Christmas, certain members of Congress are hard at work in their policy shops, fashioning a massive lump of cybersecurity coal with which to gift American users of electronic devices.
    David Williams, National Review, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • While the speech shares many characteristics with a State of the Union address, this presentation is slightly different in nature.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Yale researchers want to speak with Central Floridians affected by 1,4-dioxane The Florida Geological Survey also uncovered an insidious characteristic of this chemical combination: 1,1-DCE inhibits the natural degradation of 1,4-dioxane, allowing its spread.
    Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Ronnie’s devotion to fatherhood was evident in one of his recent Instagram posts.
    Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The family’s devotion to theater organs runs deep; a young Norm helped Sarah and Garrett install two of them in their house.
    Heather Kathryn Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The answer is critical, especially amid winter respiratory illness season, as the flu, COVID-19 and common colds circulate.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The San Francisco Chronicle reported last year that Riley was still faking illnesses even while in prison, with records indicating she was taken to the emergency room 24 times in the first 18 months of her sentence.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • This told them that all coral structures take their shape from individual polyps’ microscopic inclinations.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025
  • His geopolitical inclinations have not changed, and his antidemocratic tendencies have only gotten worse.
    HAL BRANDS, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Harvard was the site of a very early student protest in the Americas, when, in 1766, students spent weeks demonstrating against the quality of campus food.
    Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
  • That commitment, paired with strict quality standards, has fueled its growth while keeping its identity intact, even after its new ownership.
    Douglas Yu, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Affection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affection. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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