aficionado

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UK/əˌfɪʃ.(j)əˈnɑː.dəʊ/UK/əˌfɪʃ.i.əˈnɑː.dəʊ/UK/əˌfɪs.jəˈnɑː.dəʊ/UK/æˌfɪʃ.jɒˈnɑː.dəʊ/

noun

An amateur bullfighter.

Less commonFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 16

Meanings

nounaficionado (plural aficionados or aficionadoes or (rare, hypercorrect) aficionadi)

plural aficionados · plural aficionadoes · hypercorrect plural rare aficionadi · alternative afficionado

  1. obsoleteAn amateur bullfighter.First known use 19th c.
  2. A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity (originally bullfighting); a fan or devotee.First known use 19th c.

    A journey along the Conwy Valley line is one to savour for aficionados of scenic railways.

    2020 August 26, Andrew Mourant, “Reinforced against future flooding”, in Rail, page 58
    2 more examples

    To the "closet" taxonomist and aficionado of nomenclatural exercises, such emphasis may seem an intrusion.

    1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page ix

    The marketing of this relatively new money has so far been limited mostly to ads on trade websites and targeted pushes on social media, where aficionados swap meme-fueled in-jokes about coin values rocketing to the moon.

    2021 July 7, Tiffany Hsu, Coral Murphy Marcos, “Cryptocurrency Seeks the Spotlight, With Spike Lee’s Help”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2021

    Synonyms: admirer, buff, connoisseur, enthusiast, expert, fan, follower, lover

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity (originally bullfighting); a fan or devotee.

Origin

  1. Spanishafición
  2. Spanishaficionar
  3. Spanishaficionado
  4. Englishaficionado

Borrowed from Spanish aficionado (“fan, amateur”), past participle of aficionar (“to inspire fondness in someone, to get someone interested in something”). Doublet of affectionate.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Māori kaiwhakamiha, kiriwhakamiha
  • kaiwhakamihaA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
  • kiriwhakamihaA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
Portuguese aficionado
  • aficionadoA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
Slovak fanúšik, milovník
  • fanúšikA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
  • milovníkA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
  • nadšenecA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
  • obdivovateľA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
Spanish aficionado
  • aficionadoA person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.
Cite this entry
APA

aficionado. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aficionado

MLA

“aficionado.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aficionado. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aficionado,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aficionado.

Source: aficionado on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.