affectionate
adj.adj. showing love, care, or kindness toward someone. You use this word to describe people who are warm and gentle in their relationships.
adj. characterized by or expressing fondness, tenderness, or warmth of feeling. Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb.
She gave her dog an affectionate pat on the head.
The teacher was affectionate with the younger students, often praising their efforts warmly.
His affectionate nature made him a beloved figure in the community, known for his gentle demeanor and consistent kindness toward neighbors.
Learned borrowing from Latin affectiōnātus. By surface analysis, affection + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Doublet of aficionado.
Either from the above adjective by metanalysis or from affection + -ate (verb-forming suffix) (modelled on Middle French affectionner (French affectionner)).