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infatuate

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infatuate¹

  • /ɪnˈfætjuˌ(w)eɪt/
  • /ɪnˈfætʃuˌ(w)eɪt/

Where it comes from

First attested in 1533; from Middle English infatuate and/or borrowed from Latin infatuātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 2 for more.

verb infatuates · infatuating · infatuated

  1. transitive To inspire with unreasoning love, attachment or enthusiasm. If the mine was a “developed” one, and had no pay ore to show (and of course it hadn’t), we praised the tunnel; said it was one of the most infatuating tunnels in the land; driveled and driveled about the tunnel till we ran entirely out of ecstasies—but never said a word about the rock.
  2. obsolete, transitive To make foolish. […] wee beggard our selues by hearkning after false riches, and infatuated our selues by hearkning after false knowledge.

infatuate²

  • /ɪnˈfætju(w)ət/
  • /ɪnˈfætʃu(w)ət/

Where it comes from

First attested in 1477, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English infatuate (“foolish”, adjective), from Latin infatuātus, perfect passive participle of infatuō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

adjective more infatuate · most infatuate

  1. obsolete Infatuated, foolishly attracted to someone. He is infatuate about her.
  2. obsolete Foolish, lacking good judgement. Helas I lamente the dull abuſyd brayne The enfatuate fantaſies the wytles wylfulnes Of on and hothyr at me that haue dyſdayne

noun infatuates

  1. obsolete Infatuated person. 1771, Elizabeth Griffith, The History of Lady Barton, London: T. Davies & T. Cadell, Volume I, Letter 26, p. 183, […] she has a number of relations here, brothers and cousins, by the dozen; but they are all priests, and I am apprehensive that some of these infatuates may persuade her to quit me, and

Translations

Every language

verb to inspire with unreasoning love or attachment

Españolinfatuar
Deutschbetören
Русскийувле́чь uvléčʹ, обольстить obolʹstitʹ

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MLA

"infatuate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/infatuate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

infatuate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/infatuate

Chicago

"infatuate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/infatuate.

BibTeX
@misc{infatuate_2026,
  title = {infatuate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/infatuate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}