aficionado
noun
Did you know?
Before there were nerds, geeks, stans, fanboys, or fangirls, there were aficionados. But not long before, relatively speaking. English borrowed aficionado in the early 1800s directly from Spanish, making a noun out of the past participle of the Spanish verb aficionar, which means "to inspire affection." Nerd, geek, and the rest can sometimes imply that the devotee in question is overdoing their ardor, but aficionado (which traces further back to the same Latin ancestor that gave us the English word affection) is a more neutral descriptor for someone with an abiding and thoughtful devotion to an interest or activity.
Synonyms
Examples of aficionado in a Sentence
Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 30 June 2008
The quality varies with the individual authors, but both history buffs and aficionados of literary criticism will find food for thought here.
—Publishers Weekly, 8 Jan. 2001
When film aficionados speak of film noir, they usually refer to the look and attitude of certain films. As critics have found, such films do not form a genre; at best, they suggest a movement.
—Bonnie Smothers, Booklist, 15 Nov. 1999
Beyond scuba diving, North Carolina's Crystal Coast and Cape Lookout are famous for fishing. Although I'm not an aficionado myself, prospective anglers need only walk the docks of Moorehead City to book inshore or Gulf Stream excursions …
—James Sturz, New York Times, 26 Apr. 1998
an aficionado of the sci-fi series who has seen all the movies several times
Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
In recent years, however, NBC News, CNN, Fox News Channel and ABC News have all worked to ramp up streaming content for news aficionados.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
In addition to being the music superstar’s beau, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is also a big aficionado of J.M. Smucker’s Uncrustables, which has helped put the frozen crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the center of pop culture and fueled a sales boom.
—Byphil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
An argument at a gathering of car aficionados escalated to gunfire when several attendees began chasing each other on Interstate 85 north of Charlotte, North Carolina investigators say.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024
Much of this is covered in Martin’s memoir Born Standing Up, yet the chance to see his recollections buffered by the real thing is a treasure trove for aficionados and an eye-opener for those who just know the gray-haired actor as an éminence grise.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
The physical fitness aficionado often wakes at 4 a.m. to get in a workout before the sun rises.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Callaway’s arrest and detainment will likely come as a shock to U.S. Ferrari aficionados familiar with his work.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Belgravia is a district known for its immaculate streets with regency-era terraced stucco townhouses, unlimited transport links, and shopping that will entice both boutique lovers and the Harrods aficionados.
—Stacey Wreathall, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aficionado.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Aficionado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aficionado. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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aficionado
noun
Spanish, derived from Latin affectio "affection"
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