fond

1
[ fond ]
See synonyms for: fondfonderfondest on Thesaurus.com

adjective,fond·er, fond·est.
  1. having a liking or affection for (usually followed by of): to be fond of animals.

  2. loving; affectionate: to give someone a fond look.

  1. excessively tender or overindulgent; doting: a fond parent.

  2. cherished with strong or unreasoning feeling: to nourish fond hopes of becoming president.

  3. Archaic. foolish or silly.

  4. Archaic. foolishly credulous or trusting.

Origin of fond

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fond, fonned “foolish, silly” (past participle of fonnen “to be foolish”

Other words for fond

Other definitions for fond (2 of 2)

fond2
[ fond; French fawn ]

noun,plural fonds [fondz; French fawn]. /fɒndz; French fɔ̃/.
  1. a background or groundwork, especially of lace.

  2. Obsolete. fund; stock.

Origin of fond

2
First recorded in 1655–65; from French; see origin at fund

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fond in a sentence

  • Liszt gazed at "his Hans," as he calls him, with the fondest pride, and seemed perfectly happy over his arrival.

  • At her age one knows the fondest hopes are often disappointed in this world and you cannot always do what you propose.

  • Any American who enjoys good fishing can find his fondest dreams more than satisfied in Cuba.

  • St. James was the fondest, the kindest, the tenderest—O my God!

    Ernest Linwood | Caroline Lee Hentz
  • Was not everything here for which the fondest and most aspiring wishes could seek?

    The Heir of Redclyffe | Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for fond (1 of 2)

fond1

/ (fɒnd) /


adjective
  1. (postpositive foll by of) predisposed (to); having a liking (for)

  2. loving; tender: a fond embrace

  1. indulgent; doting: a fond mother

  2. (of hopes, wishes, etc) cherished but unlikely to be realized: he had fond hopes of starting his own business

  3. archaic, or dialect

    • foolish

    • credulous

Origin of fond

1
C14 fonned, from fonnen to be foolish, from fonne a fool

Derived forms of fond

  • fondly, adverb
  • fondness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for fond (2 of 2)

fond2

/ (fɒnd, French fɔ̃) /


noun
  1. the background of a design, as in lace

  2. obsolete fund; stock

Origin of fond

2
C17: from French, from Latin fundus bottom; see fund

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012