infatuation

noun

in·​fat·​u·​a·​tion in-ˌfa-chə-ˈwā-shən 

-chü-ˈā-

plural infatuations

1

: a feeling of foolish or obsessively strong love for, admiration for, or interest in someone or something : strong and unreasoning attachment

She speaks openly about the real-life subject of one of her songs, a conservatory teacher who is both a neighbor in her apartment building and the unwilling object of her obsessive infatuation.

—Sasha Frere-Jones

Craig Claiborne wrote about it in 1963, when he was deep in his infatuation with dill and meatballs and all things Nordic.

—Amanda Hesser

2

: the object of an unreasoning or foolish attachment

And then, I began trying to forge their autographs. I'm not sure why I did it at first, but it became an infatuation.

—Zach Selwyn

Synonyms

• crush
• mash
• passion

Examples of infatuation in a Sentence

had a brief infatuation with the captain of the ski team

Recent Examples on the Web

The brand’s mission is personal, stemming from Ralph’s lifelong infatuation with jewelry and his ties to a Divine Nine fraternity. —Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025

Not until the day when a woman from an infatuation a few years back introduced me to Michele. —Claës Nordenskiöld, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

Eggers' interpretation stars Depp—daughter of actor Johnny Depp and singer, model and actor Vanessa Paradis—as Ellen Hutter in this tale of a haunted young woman and the vampire who has an infatuation with her. —George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

New designs of planes are always in the news and people across the globe have always had an infatuation with airplanes. —Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing infatuation

• self-infatuation