Definition of AFFINITIES (original) (raw)
1
: relationship by marriage
2
a
: sympathy marked by community of interest : kinship
She has an affinity to him because of their common musical interests.
b(1)
: an attraction to or liking for something
people with an affinity to darkness—
Mark Twain
pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other—Abby Mandel
(2)
: an attractive force between substances or particles that causes them to enter into and remain in chemical combination
c
: a person especially of the opposite sex having a particular attraction for one
3
a
: likeness based on relationship or causal connection
found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman—Mary McCarthy
this investigation, with affinities to a case history, a psychoanalysis, a detective story—Oliver Sacks
b
: a relation between biological groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin
chemistry : of, relating to, involving, or used in [affinity chromatography](/dictionary/affinity chromatography)
The unwanted antibodies are removed in affinity columns, which contain a matrix to which other antibodies have already been allowed to bind …—Scientific American
Although affinity labeling was originally developed for the investigation of enzymes, it has also added significantly to the study of the structure of active sites in other systems …—Meir Wilchek et al.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for affinity
attraction, affinity, sympathy mean the relationship existing between things or persons that are naturally or involuntarily drawn together.
attraction implies the possession by one thing of a quality that pulls another to it.
felt an attraction to danger
affinity implies a susceptibility or predisposition on the part of the one drawn.
an affinity for mathematics
sympathy implies a reciprocal or natural relation between two things that are both susceptible to the same influence.
Examples of affinity in a Sentence
Noun
Jefferson's personal debts continued to mount … His addiction to French wine, like his affinity for French ideas, never came to grips with the more mundane realities. —Joseph J. Ellis, American Heritage, May/June 1993 … neither virus has an affinity for T cells. —Robert C. Gallo, Scientific American, 1987 Animals sharing this basic architecture may have no closer affinity than a beetle and a squid. —Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, 1985
There's always been an affinity between us. He never felt any affinity with the other kids in his neighborhood.
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.
Both tracks share an affinity for the sinister while offsetting their demons with undeniable danceability. —Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 31 Jan. 2025 Beccari described numerous affinities between Formula 1 and Vuitton. —Miles Socha, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025 When done right, this type of content may be cheaper to produce compared to scripted shows, and bring in new (typically younger) demographics who have currently have more of an affinity to YouTube and other social media channels. —Kiri Masters, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 As The Athletic reported, Haaland clearly has a special affinity for Manchester that traces to his father Alf Inge Haaland’s time as a player with City. —Martin Rogers, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for affinity 
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English affinite, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French affinité, borrowed from Latin affīnitāt-, affīnitās, from affīnis "bordering (on), related by marriage, connected (with)" (from ad- ad- + fīnis "boundary, limit") + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at final entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1962, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of affinity was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near affinity
Cite this Entry
“Affinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affinity. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 9 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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