What does infatuate mean?
Infatuate means to make someone intensely enamoured, fascinated, or obsessed with a person, idea, or thing. The attachment it describes is usually stronger than ordinary admiration and often carries an implication that it is excessive, irrational, or difficult to control. For example, someone may be infatuated with a performer, a romantic partner, a new idea, or the promise of immediate success. The verb is especially common in literature and romantic or figurative descriptions, where it can sound dramatic or gently ironic. Its related noun, infatuation, describes the intense attachment itself. The word has a memorable history: it comes through Latin from fatuus, meaning “foolish,” so it presents overwhelming attraction as something that can cloud judgement. Infatuate is therefore useful when discussing both romantic devotion and figuratively obsessive fascination.
verbTo make someone filled with intense admiration, affection, or desire, often to an irrational or excessive degree. It can also mean to cause someone to become foolishly or obsessively devoted to someone or something.
- To make someone intensely enamoured of or obsessed with another person, thing, or idea.
- To fill someone with a strong and unreasonable admiration or attraction.
"She was infatuated with the young actor and could think of little else."
"He was infatuated with the idea of travelling around the world."
"The sudden success infatuated the young singer with his own talent."
Infatuate comes from the Latin word for “foolish,” reflecting the idea that overwhelming desire can make sensible people act foolishly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of infatuate
The word entered English in the early 17th century from Latin infatuare, meaning “to make foolish.” That verb was formed from fatuus, “foolish, silly,” which is also the source of related English words such as fatuous and fatuity. The original sense concerned making someone mentally irrational, and the modern sense of causing an obsessive or excessive attraction developed from that idea.
Related word forms
How infatuate is actually used
The word is more common in literary, romantic, and figurative contexts than in everyday neutral speech. It usually carries a faintly critical or ironic tone, suggesting an excessive or irrational attachment.
Easily confused with infatuate
Fascination can be a strong but orderly interest or attraction, whereas infatuation typically implies an intense, often irrational obsession.