affinity
affinity Lexical Profile
affinity Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A spontaneous or natural liking, sympathy, or attraction toward a person, thing, or activity.
"From an early age, she showed a strong affinity for classical music and languages."
A close similarity, inherent connection, or structural resemblance between people, ideas, or things.
"Linguists have long studied the structural affinities between Sanskrit and ancient European languages."
In chemistry and immunology, the degree to which a substance or molecule tends to combine or bind with another.
"Hemoglobin has a much higher affinity for carbon monoxide than for oxygen."
A relationship formed by marriage rather than by blood, as distinguished from consanguinity.
"In legal contexts, relatives by affinity include stepparents and in-laws."
Word Nuance & Usage
When expressing a natural liking or attraction, 'affinity' is typically followed by the prepositions 'for' or 'with' (e.g., 'an affinity for music'), whereas 'between' is used to describe a mutual resemblance or connection.
• Rhymes for affinity
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Old French from Latin 'affinitas' (meaning 'neighborhood' or 'kinship by marriage'), derived from 'affinis' ('bordering on' or 'related'), combining 'ad-' ('to, toward') and 'finis' ('border' or 'boundary').