affectionate
af·fec·tion·ate/əˈfɛkʃənət/adjective, verb
affectionate is spelled A-F-F-E-C-T-I-O-N-A-T-E: 12 letters and 4 syllables (af·fec·tion·ate). It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, affectionate means “Having affection or warm regard; loving; fond” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in affectionate?
| Letters | 12: A-F-F-E-C-T-I-O-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: af·fec·tion·ate |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is affectionate?
Affectionate appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce affectionate?
- /əˈfɛkʃənət/
As a verb (“To show affection to; to have affection for”): /əˈfɛkʃəneɪt/.
Affectionate has 4 syllables, split af·fec·tion·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-affectionate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of affectionate
- more affectionate comparative
- most affectionate superlative
- affectionates present, singular, he/she/it
- affectionating participle, present
- affectionated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does affectionate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having affection or warm regard; loving; fond.
She eulogised her always warm and affectionate brother.
- 2
Characterised by or proceeding from affection; indicating love; tender.
the affectionate care of a parent; an affectionate countenance; an affectionate message; affectionate language
- 3
obsoleteEager; passionate; strongly inclined toward something.
verb
- 1
rareTo show affection to; to have affection for.
- 2
obsoleteTo emotionally attach (oneself) to.
Plutarch saith fitly of those who affectionate themselves to Monkies and little Dogges, that […].
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Affectionate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | affectueux |
| German | liebevoll |
| Portuguese | afetuoso , carinhoso |
| Spanish | afectuoso, cariñoso, querendón |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.