dalliance

noun

dal·​li·​ance ˈda-lē-ən(t)s How to pronounce dalliance (audio)
Synonyms of dalliancenext
: an act of dallying: such as
a
: play
especially : amorous play
had dalliances with several women before getting married
b
: frivolous action : trifling
had a brief dalliance with acting

Synonyms

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Examples of dalliance in a Sentence

an extremely serious scientist who is not much given to dalliance or idle chitchat
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its bops quietly succeeded where Rae’s dalliances in makeup and movies floundered. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 6 June 2025 Her co-star was John Gilbert, with whom Garbo had an off-screen dalliance. — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2025 His multiple dalliances with performance-enhancing drugs certainly didn’t help. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 2 June 2025 Consider Rumi’s dalliance with illegally downloading music, which puts him on the radar of a not-so-mysterious pen pal known as Curious_George_Bush43! — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dalliance

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dalliance was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

dalli
dalliance
Dallis grass
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Cite this Entry

“Dalliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dalliance. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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Kids Definition

dalliance

noun
dal·​li·​ance ˈdal-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce dalliance (audio)
1
: play entry 1 sense 2
especially : the act of flirting
2
: action lacking in importance or seriousness
a short dalliance with politics

More from Merriam-Webster on dalliance

Nglish: Translation of dalliance for Spanish Speakers

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