Overfondness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An unusually intense level of affection or attachment towards someone or something, which often manifests as excessive expressiveness in regard to that person or object
2. A heightened emotional connection or fondness that frequently results in an overwhelming desire to remain closely associated with the object of affection
3. A strong, sometimes excessive affection towards a person or thing that can lead to behaviors reflecting an intense emotional bond or attachment

Etymology: "Overfondness" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-", meaning excessive or beyond the proper degree, joined to "fondness," the state of being fond. Its meaning follows directly from those parts, so the word is a transparent example of how English builds new nouns from existing ones. Fondness itself grew from "fond," which originally meant foolish or silly before it came to mean affectionate. That older sense survives in the idea that a fond attachment can be a little misguided. Adding "over-" intensifies the sense of excess, so overfondness describes affection that has gone past what is reasonable. The word can be formed in two ways: either by attaching "over-" to "fondness," or by adding "-ness" to "overfond." Both routes produce the same result, which is why the word needs no separate history of its own beyond the history of its parts.

Synonyms: excessive affection, overattachment

Antonyms: indifference, detachment