limerence

English

Alternative forms

• limerance

Etymology

From arbitrary first element +‎ -ence. Coined by American psychologist Dorothy Tennov in 1979 as an arbitrary euphonious replacement or alteration of amorance.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪməɹəns/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

limerence (countable and uncountable, plural limerences)

1. (psychology) An involuntary romantic infatuation with another person, especially combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated. [from 20th c.]
   • 1977 September 11, Dorothy Tennov, The Observer:

     I first used the term ‘amorance’ then changed it back to ‘limerence’ […]. It has no roots whatsoever. It looks nice. It works well in French. Take it from me it has no etymology whatsoever.

   • 2003 December 14, Andrew G Marshall, The Observer:

     When someone is under the spell of limerence, not even being rejected dampens down the madness.

   • 2010, Alyson Schafer, Breaking the Good mom Myth:

     But limerence, lovely as it feels, is a time-limited event—it lasts about five years for most couples.

   • 2024 January 27, Amanda McCracken, The New York Times:

     Limerence is a state of overwhelming and unexpected longing for emotional reciprocation from another human, known as a limerent object (LO), who is often perceived as perfect but unavailable.

Synonyms

• infatuation

Antonyms

• nonlimerence

Related terms

• limerent
• nonlimerent

Translations

state of mind

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一往情深 (zh) (yīwǎngqíngshēn), 情深意切 (qíngshēnyìqiè), 情真意切 (qíngzhēnyìqiè), 深情厚意 (zh) (shēnqínghòuyì), 情深似海 (qíngshēnsìhǎi), 情真愛深／情真爱深 (qíngzhēn'àishēn), 情深不移 (qíngshēnbùyí), 情深意重 (qíngshēnyìzhòng), 情濃難斷／情浓难断 (qíngnóngnánduàn), 情不自勝／情不自胜 (qíngbùzìshèng), 情難自禁／情难自禁 (qíngnánzìjīn), 情真意摯／情真意挚 (qíngzhēnyìzhì), 痴心深情 (chīxīnshēnqíng), 深情癡戀／深情痴恋 (shēnqíngchīliàn), 濃情蜜意／浓情蜜意 (nóngqíngmìyì), 傾心戀慕／倾心恋慕 (qīngxīnliànmù), 傾心愛慕／倾心爱慕 (qīngxīn'àimù), 傾心痴戀／倾心痴恋 (qīngxīnchīliàn)

• Danish: forelskelse (da)
• Dutch: verliefdheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: enamiĝinteco
• German: Verliebtheit (de) f, Limerenz (de) f
• Italian: limerence, ultrattaccamento
• Korean: 리머런스 (rimeoreonseu)
• Macedonian: вљу́беност f (vljúbenost)
• Portuguese: limerence (pt) f, enfatuação f
• Russian: влюблённость (ru) f (vljubljónnostʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: limerencija
• Spanish: limerencia (es), infatuación (es)
• Swedish: förälskelse (sv) c
• Tagalog: pagkahumaling, pagkahibang

See also

• crush

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English limerence.

Noun

limerence f (plural limerences)

1. (psychology, rare) limerence (state of mind caused by a romantic attraction)

   Synonym: enfatuação