fondness

/'fɔndnis/

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Word: Fondness

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: Fondness is a feeling of affection or love for someone or something. It means you like them a lot and have warm feelings about them.

Usage Instructions:

• Use "fondness" to describe a strong liking or affection you have for a person, place, animal, or thing. It is often used in a positive context.
• You can use it with the preposition "for" to indicate what you have fondness towards. For example: "She has a fondness for dogs."

Example Sentences:

1. Simple: "He has a fondness for chocolate ice cream."
2. Complex: "Her fondness for nature is evident in her beautiful garden."

Advanced Usage:

• "Fondness" can also convey nostalgia or a sentimental affection, suggesting that the feelings are deeper or tied to memories. For example: "He spoke with fondness about his childhood adventures."

Word Variants:

• Fond (adjective): Feeling affection or liking something.
  • Example: "She is very fond of her grandmother."
• Fondly (adverb): Doing something in a loving or affectionate way.
  • Example: "He fondly remembered his days in school."

Different Meaning:

While "fondness" primarily refers to affection, it can also imply a mild preference or liking that is not as strong as love. For example, "I have a fondness for classical music" suggests enjoyment but not an intense passion.

Synonyms:

• Affection
• Liking
• Love
• Attachment
• Warmth
• Devotion

Idioms:

• "Have a soft spot for someone/something": This means to have a fondness or affection for someone or something, often unexpectedly.
  • Example: "I have a soft spot for stray animals."

Phrasal Verbs:

There aren’t specific phrasal verbs that directly relate to "fondness," but you can express similar feelings with phrases like: - "Take to": To begin to like someone or something. - Example: "I really took to her when we first met."

Summary:

In summary, "fondness" is a noun that expresses a warm feeling of affection or liking. It is used to describe how you feel about people, things, or activities you care about.

Academic

Noun

1. a quality proceeding from feelings of affection or love
2. a positive feeling of liking
   • he had trouble expressing the affection he felt
   • the child won everyone's heart
   • the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home
3. a predisposition to like something
   • he had a fondness for whiskey

Synonyms

• affectionateness
• lovingness
• warmth
• affection
• tenderness
• heart
• warmness
• warmheartedness
• philia
• fancy
• partiality