as in loving
feeling or showing love
an affectionate child who gives hugs and kisses freely
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Recent Examples of affectionate
Fergie previously used the affectionate phrase to celebrate the October 2024 announcement that Princess Beatrice was pregnant, and used that wording in a social media post then.
—
Janine Henni, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
To see a dad do the same without hesitation is a reminder that involved, affectionate dads are not as rare as some people might think.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 27 Jan. 2025
But when those affectionate elements are gone, there may not be much holding this friendship together.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 23 Jan. 2025
But Manhattan, which stars Mariel Hemingway, Diane Keaton, and Meryl Streep, is perhaps the most whimsically affectionate and viscerally stirring.
—Vogue, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for affectionate 
Janine Henni, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
To see a dad do the same without hesitation is a reminder that involved, affectionate dads are not as rare as some people might think.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 27 Jan. 2025
But when those affectionate elements are gone, there may not be much holding this friendship together.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 23 Jan. 2025
But Manhattan, which stars Mariel Hemingway, Diane Keaton, and Meryl Streep, is perhaps the most whimsically affectionate and viscerally stirring.
—Vogue, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for affectionate
Thesaurus Entries Near affectionate
Cite this Entry
“Affectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affectionate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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