What does fond mean?
Fond is an English adjective expressing warm affection or strong liking, most commonly encountered in the phrase 'fond of'. To be fond of a person, place, food, or pastime means to feel genuine attachment and pleasure in it — a step beyond mere preference but short of deep love. The word appears frequently in everyday speech about relationships, habits, and memories: people describe themselves as fond of an old friend, fond of walking, or fond of a particular dish. Its connotations are gentle and sentimental rather than passionate, which makes it well suited to describing comfortable, enduring affections. An older, now largely obsolete sense treated 'fond' as meaning foolish or excessively indulgent, and this survives mainly in literary contexts and phrases such as 'a fond hope'. Interestingly, that earlier meaning is historically primary: the word's development from folly to affection reflects how language gradually reshapes emotional vocabulary.
adjectiveFeeling deep affection or liking for someone or something; also used to describe foolishly overindulgent or silly behaviour in older usage.
- Having a strong liking or affection for someone or something ('fond of')
- (Older use) Foolish, silly, or overly indulgent
"She was fond of her grandmother's old farmhouse and its creaking floors."
"He grew fond of the city during his years there."
"She had a fond hope that they would meet again."
The word 'fond' once meant exactly the opposite of sweet — in Middle English it meant 'foolish', and only centuries later did it soften into affection.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fond
Fond originates from Middle English 'fonned', meaning foolish or silly, derived from the verb 'fonnen' meaning to fool or befool. During the sixteenth century the meaning shifted gradually, as foolish behaviour came to be associated with doting indulgence, and eventually the word settled into its modern sense of affectionate attachment. This semantic journey — from folly to tenderness — makes fond a classic example of a word whose emotional character reversed almost entirely over time. Related forms such as fondle (originally meaning to treat foolishly or indulge) and fondness preserve traces of this same history.
Related word forms
How fond is actually used
'Fond' is almost always used with 'of' in modern English — 'to be fond of something' is by far the most common construction. The adjective carries a warm, gentle connotation. The archaic sense meaning 'foolish' survives mainly in literature and historical texts.
Easily confused with fond
A bond is a connection or tie between people or things, whereas fond describes affectionate liking; the words share a similar sound but entirely different meanings.