dalliance

/ˈdæliəns/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdæliəns/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈda-lē-ən(t)s/ (ame, mw)

dalliance — noun

  • dalliancesingular
  • dalliancesplural

1. a short romantic or sexual involvement that nobody expects to last or treat as a

1.名詞C2
釋義

a short romantic or sexual involvement that nobody expects to last or treat as a real commitment

例句

Rafael's summer dalliance with the gallery owner ended quietly once he flew back to Madrid.

collocation: dalliance with [person]

Tamar admitted to a brief dalliance with a co-worker last summer.

collocation: brief dalliance

同義詞
  • fling

    informal; a short sexual relationship, often during travel or a holiday

  • affair

    broader; can be long-term and is the default word when one partner is married

  • liaison

    formal; emphasises secrecy more than brevity

  • tryst

    literary; a single secret romantic meeting rather than an ongoing relationship

反義詞
  • commitment

    a relationship both partners treat as serious and lasting

文法句型

dalliance with [person]

a brief/casual dalliance

用法筆記

Frequently used about a relationship the speaker disapproves of, treats as scandalous, or wants to dismiss as unimportant. Often paired with adjectives like 'brief', 'casual', 'youthful', or 'illicit'.

常見錯誤

❌They had a long dalliance for ten years.
✅They had a long affair for ten years.
💡'dalliance' implies the relationship is short and not serious; a decade-long one is an 'affair' or 'relationship'.

2. a short period during which someone tries out an activity, idea, or political vi

2.名詞C2
釋義

a short period during which someone tries out an activity, idea, or political view but soon drops it for something else

例句

After a brief dalliance with veganism, Rohan went back to eating his grandmother's lamb curry every Sunday.

collocation: dalliance with [belief / lifestyle]

The senator's dalliance with libertarian ideas lasted barely two campaigns.

political register: dalliance with [ideology]

同義詞
  • flirtation

    very close in this sense; emphasises lightness of engagement ('a flirtation with socialism')

  • phase

    neutral; a period of time during which one had a certain interest, without judgment

  • experiment

    frames the period as a deliberate trial, not a casual drift

反義詞
  • devotion

    long-term, serious commitment to an activity or belief

文法句型

dalliance with [activity / idea / belief]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense takes a NON-PERSON object — an activity, belief, ideology, lifestyle, or art form. If the object is a person, the meaning is sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌She has had a dalliance with chess for twenty years.
✅She has been a serious chess player for twenty years.
💡'dalliance' implies the interest was short and abandoned; long-term commitment needs a different word.