Search

a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.
a person, thing, idea, etc., for which such a natural liking or attraction is felt.
relationship by marriage or by ties other than those of blood (distinguished from ).
inherent likeness or agreement; close resemblance or connection.
Biology. the phylogenetic relationship between two organisms or groups of organisms resulting in a resemblance in general plan or structure, or in the essential structural parts.
Chemistry. the force by which atoms are held together in chemical compounds.
of or relating to persons who share the same interests:
to arrange charter flights for opera lovers and other affinity groups.
Contemporary Examples

What affinity does a rank-and-file conservative feel with a militia type?
In Defense of Measured Speculation Michael Tomasky April 15, 2013

What binds Americans as Americans is not some narrowly conceived ethnic identity but an affinity to an idea.
A State that Fears the Womb Yousef Munayyer April 4, 2012

Heywood and Guagua apparently shared an affinity for sexy sports cars too.
Neil Heywood & China’s Bo Xilai Scandal: Drinker, Sailor, Fixer, Spy? Melinda Liu March 29, 2012

So I kind of wanted to write in the introduction about myself a little bit to explain why I have this affinity for those people.
The Great American Freak Show Susannah Breslin April 5, 2009

The “our” in that sentence is entirely about affinity (he’s one of us) and ideology (he thinks like we do).
Mark Sanford’s Win Michael Tomasky May 7, 2013

Historical Examples

There is affinity between the people, and there is reason in that reply.
The Water-Witch or, The Skimmer of the Seas James Fenimore Cooper

There is an affinity between this species and the Physarella.
The Myxomycetes of the Miami Valley, Ohio A. P. Morgan

They talk of affinities between the autograph and the character: what affinity was there here?
The Professor (AKA Charlotte Bronte) Currer Bell

Almost every cradle has an affinity toward some other cradle.
The Wedding Ring T. De Witt Talmage

The affinity of the Slavic and Greek languages it has recently been attempted to prove in several works.
Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations Therese Albertine Louise von Jacob Robinson

noun (pl) -ties
foll by with or for. a natural liking, taste, or inclination towards a person or thing
the person or thing so liked
a close similarity in appearance or quality; inherent likeness
relationship by marriage or by ties other than of blood, as by adoption Compare consanguinity
similarity in structure, form, etc, between different animals, plants, or languages
(chem)

the tendency for two substances to combine; chemical attraction
a measure of the tendency of a chemical reaction to take place expressed in terms of the free energy change A

(biology) a measure of the degree of interaction between two molecules, such as an antigen and antibody or a hormone and its receptor
n.

c.1300, “relation by marriage” (as opposed to consanguinity), from Old French afinité (12c.), from Latin affinitatem (nominative affinitas) “neighborhood, relationship by marriage,” noun of state from affinis “adjacent,” also “kin by marriage,” literally “bordering on,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + finis “a border, an end” (see finish). Used figuratively since c.1600 of structural relationships in chemistry, philology, etc. Meaning “natural attraction” (as though by family) is from 1610s.

affinity af·fin·i·ty (ə-fĭn’ĭ-tē)
n.

An attraction or force between particles that causes them to combine.

The attraction between an antigen and an antibody.

A relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin.

The selective staining of a tissue by a dye. The selective uptake of a dye, chemical, or other substance by a tissue.

affinity
(ə-fĭn’ĭ-tē)

A relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin.

An attraction or force between particles that causes them to combine, as the attraction between an antigen and an antibody.

relationship by alliance (2 Chr. 18:1) or by marriage (1 Kings 3:1). Marriages are prohibited within certain degrees of affinity, enumerated Lev. 18:6-17. Consanguinity is relationship by blood.