infatuate

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infatuate
1. be inspired with an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for
“she is infatuated with a handsome police chief”

verb

/;n;f;t;;;we;t/

in·fat·u·ate
[in;faCH;;w;t]
verb
(be infatuated with)
be inspired with an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for:
"she is infatuated with a handsome police chief"
Similar:
enthrall
charm
enchant
bewitch
fascinate
beguile
entrance
enrapture
delight
attract
allure
lure
win
ensnare
dazzle
absorb
engross
rivet
grip
hypnotize

Translate infatuate to

German
bet;ren

***
Definition

verb

adjective
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infatuate
1 of 2
verb
in·;fat·;u·;ate in-;fa-ch;-;w;t  -ch;-;;t
infatuated; infatuating
transitive verb

1
: to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment
2
: to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration
infatuate

2 of 2
adjective
in·;fat·;u·;ate in-;fa-ch;-w;t  -ch;-;t
: being in an infatuated state or condition


Did you know?
What is the origin of infatuated?

When we speak of someone being infatuated it very often is in relationship to that person having seemingly taken leave of his or her senses, especially in a romantic context (“he was so infatuated that he could not remember what day of the week it was”). This is fitting, as the word shares an origin with the word fatuous, which means complacently or inanely foolish. Both words come from the Latin fatuus (“foolish”), although fatuous is not often used in the romantic contexts in which we find infatuate. When used with a preposition infatuated is typically followed by with.

Examples of infatuate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
In reality, the man had unwittingly become infatuated with a Meta chatbot, his family said in an in-depth new Reuters report.
—Jillian Frankel, People.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Some power users who’d become infatuated with previous versions of the software were angry and even bereft by the update.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 18 Aug. 2025
After all, sports audiences are infatuated by round numbers and triple doubles don’t always correlate with impact.
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
In the throes of a midlife crisis, George (Dudley Moore) becomes infatuated with his dentist's daughter, Jenny (Bo Derek), and follows her to Mexico on her honeymoon.
—EW.com, 21 June 2025

Word History
Etymology
Verb

Latin infatuatus, past participle of infatuare, from in- + fatuus fatuous

First Known Use
Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of infatuate was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century


Some voters including myself who’d become infatuated with Trump are very angry and even bereft now by the update.
Ilon Musk