What does enamoured mean?
Enamoured is an adjective describing someone who is filled with love, admiration, or strong fondness for a person or thing. It derives from the verb enamour and is nearly always followed by the preposition "of" or "with": one might be enamoured of a colleague, enamoured with a new hobby, or enamoured of an era's ideals. The word carries a slightly literary, elevated tone that sets it apart from plainer alternatives like fond or keen, and it often suggests a state of delight that may border on infatuation. Although most naturally applied to romantic affection, its figurative use — being enamoured of an abstract idea, for instance — is common in journalism and criticism, sometimes with a hint that the attachment may be unwise. British spelling doubles the "u" (enamoured); American English usually drops it (enamored). The word traces back through Old French to the Latin amare, meaning "to love," making it a cousin of words like amorous and amateur.
adjectiveFilled with a feeling of love for, or strong admiration or fondness of, someone or something. Typically used predicatively with the preposition "of" or "with."
- In love with; filled with romantic affection for someone.
- Strongly attracted to or admiring of something — a place, idea, pursuit, or object.
"She was deeply enamoured of the old house the moment she saw it."
"He had been enamoured of her since their first meeting at university."
"The committee grew enamoured with the ambitious proposal, despite its cost."
Despite its romantic sound, you can be just as enamoured of an idea, a city, or even your own clever plan as of another person.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enamoured
Enamoured comes from the verb enamour, which entered English from Anglo-Norman and Old French enamourer, formed from en- ("in, cause to be") plus amour ("love"), ultimately from Latin amor, from amare ("to love"). The adjective has been in use since at least the Middle English period, originally meaning simply "beloved" or "in love," and later extending to strong admiration for things as well as people. It shares this Latin root with cognates such as amorous, amateur, and amiable.
Related word forms
How enamoured is actually used
Standard in formal and literary registers. In British English the spelling is "enamoured"; American English typically uses "enamored," though the word is somewhat less common in the US. It is almost always used predicatively ("enamoured of/with") rather than attributively before a noun. Some style guides prefer "of" over "with," but both are widely accepted.
Easily confused with enamoured
Though it rhymes and shares the British -our spelling, armour means protective metal clothing, while enamoured describes being in love or captivated.