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acquaintanceship

acquaintanceship

2 7.6
A not very close relationship with someone you know but are not friends with
  • noun
  • /əˌkwāntəˈnēˌshɪp/
translation icon : conocimiento
  • "I don't intend to stay here long enough to develop anything more than a passing acquaintanceship with the man.

Examples

  • You must have very limited acquaintanceship.

  • He appreciated the manner in which she had relieved him of the burden of caring for himself during his distraction of grief; she was going well beyond the normal parameters of acquaintanceship, and perhaps even of friendship.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • So shall we content ourselves with acquaintanceship for the moment?

  • Another five men (11%) described the relationship as an acquaintanceship.

    Academic text (2004)
  • I have an acquaintanceship with this checker, having passed through his line often enough since last summer to recognize him.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Despite their longstanding acquaintanceship, she dislikes B; she's made that more clear than anything.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Simply likes people in a genuine and powerful way, and he finds the patterns of acquaintanceship and interaction in which people arrange themselves to be endlessly fascinating.

    Blog text (12)
  • When, after many years of acquaintanceship, he went to Berlin for the first time, his German friend gave him a map of the city with places of Jewish interest carefully marked—the major cemetery, the various synagogues, the Jewish museum, etc.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Their acquaintanceship began when they were introduced at a party last spring.

  • Despite their lengthy acquaintanceship, they rarely met outside of work.

Synonyms

association
vsacquaintanceship
131 3.0

A connection between people, groups, or things, often from working together

refers specifically to a personal relation less close than a friendship
acquaintance
vsacquaintanceship
114 3.5

A person you know slightly who is not a close friend

is the abstract relation itself rather than the individual person known
casual acquaintance
vsacquaintanceship
3 3.9

A person you know only a little and who is not a close friend

focuses on the relation as a less close bond rather than the individual
nodding acquaintance
vsacquaintanceship
1 7.4

A person you know only a little and greet with a nod

describes a broader less close relation not only brief recognition

Antonyms

751 1.0

A close relationship between people who like and support each other

122 4.2

A close loving relationship where people share personal feelings

How Close

intimate
  • NSFW
160 4.4
friendship
751 1.0
acquaintanceship
2 7.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

acquaintanceship = acquaintance (transparent) = acquaintance + ship

Formed by the noun 'acquaintance' plus the productive suffix '-ship' meaning a state or relationship, so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Acquaintanceship comes from the verb acquaint, which originally meant 'to make known' or 'introduce' someone so you would 'know' them. So an acquaintanceship is the state of 'knowing' someone a little, not being close friends.