affection

affection — noun

1. a warm feeling that makes you care about a person, animal, or place and want to

1.名詞B2
釋義

a warm feeling that makes you care about a person, animal, or place and want to be close to them.

例句

Grandma stroked the cat with obvious affection while it purred on her lap.

with + affection (manner phrase)

Omar has a deep affection for the small village where he grew up.

affection for + place noun

同義詞
  • fondness

    very close in meaning; slightly milder and more casual than affection

  • warmth

    emphasises the friendly feeling shown in tone or behaviour, not just the inner emotion

  • attachment

    stresses a long-term bond; can also apply to objects or habits

反義詞
  • dislike

    general opposite; covers people and things

  • coldness

    describes the absence of warm feeling in someone's manner

文法句型

affection for + noun

with affection

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable in this sense. Frequently follows the pattern 'affection for [person/place]' and pairs with verbs like 'feel', 'show', and 'have'.

常見錯誤

❌I have many affections for my hometown.
✅I have a lot of affection for my hometown.
💡affection is uncountable here, so use 'a lot of' or 'great', not plural 'affections'.

2. the loving emotions one person directs toward another, especially in a romantic

2.名詞B2
釋義

the loving emotions one person directs toward another, especially in a romantic context.

例句

Two young men were competing for Elena's affections at the summer dance.

compete for + someone's affections

After the divorce, Hassan's affections quickly turned toward a colleague at the bank.

affections turn toward + person

同義詞
  • love

    stronger and broader; 'affections' is more old-fashioned and literary

  • feelings

    general term; 'someone's feelings for X' is the everyday equivalent

  • heart

    metaphorical: 'lose your heart to someone' = give your affections

文法句型

someone's affections

用法筆記

Almost always plural in this sense and usually possessive ('her affections', 'my affections'). Distinguish from sense 1, which is uncountable singular and broader (covers places and animals too). Common in set phrases like 'win/gain/capture someone's affections', frequent in romantic novels and period dramas.

常見錯誤

❌He gave his affection to another woman.
✅He gave his affections to another woman.
💡when talking about romantic love directed at a person, the plural 'affections' is the standard form.
❌He won her affection after many letters.
✅He won her affections after many letters.
💡in the set phrase 'win someone's affections' the plural form is conventional.