affiliation
gb/əfˌɪliˈeɪʃən/ us/əfˌɪliˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 8200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
relation
1
official connection to a group
a formal or official link between a person or group and an organization, usually as a member or part of it
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s affiliation with [organization/group]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "affiliation" with "feeling" or "friendship". "Affiliation" is about a formal or official connection to a group or institution, not about personal emotions. Also, do not say *"I have an affiliation to"* in most cases; the common pattern is "affiliation with" a group or institution.
Synonyms
membership (focuses more on belonging inside a group; does not always emphasize the formal link between separate entities)
|
association (more general; can be loose or informal, while affiliation usually suggests a formal or recorded connection)
Antonyms
independence (describes being free from connection to any organization or group)
|
disaffiliation (emphasizes the act or state of ending an existing affiliation)
Collocations
professional affiliation
|institutional affiliation
|university affiliation
|club affiliation
|organizational affiliation
|declare an affiliation
Themes
society
|business
|education
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Please list your current professional affiliation at the end of the article.
- Her primary affiliation is with the University of Toronto, where she works as a researcher.
- The museum’s new affiliation with the national gallery will give it access to more loans.
- He resigned his club affiliation after moving to another city.
- Job applicants must disclose any affiliation with competing companies.
Learner examples
- My main affiliation is with the local tennis club.
- Doctors usually show their hospital affiliation on their name badges.
- She wrote her school affiliation under her name on the form.
- The small company gained status through its affiliation with a big brand.
- He ended his affiliation with the group last year.
Noun
B2
relation
2
stated support for a group
the political party, religion, or group that someone says they belong to or support
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s affiliation to/with [party/religion/group]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "affiliation" to mean a single party or group by itself, saying things like *"He joined an affiliation"*. This is unnatural; you join a party, group, or organization, but you **have** an affiliation **with** that party or group.
Synonyms
alignment (emphasizes agreement or shared views rather than official ties or membership)
|
allegiance (stronger emotional or moral loyalty; can sound more formal or intense than "affiliation")
Antonyms
nonalignment (describes a deliberate choice not to be linked with any party, religion, or side)
|
neutrality (focuses on not taking sides or not openly supporting any group or cause)
Collocations
political affiliation
|religious affiliation
|party affiliation
|ideological affiliation
|change affiliation
|declare your affiliation
Themes
politics
|religion
|society
|relationships
Examples
- The survey asked respondents to state their political affiliation.
- She prefers not to reveal her party affiliation at work.
- The form includes a box for religious affiliation, which you can leave blank.
- Voters’ party affiliation strongly influenced their views on the new law.
- His long‑time affiliation with the union shaped his career.
Learner examples
- The poll counted people by political affiliation.
- He hid his party affiliation during the interview.
- The school does not ask about students’ religious affiliation.
- Many young people have no clear political affiliation.
- Her strong affiliation with the movement began in college.
Noun
formal
C1
relation
3
formal link between organizations
an official relationship between two different companies or institutions that work together or belong to the same group
Usage pattern:
[organization]'s affiliation with [organization]
Common mistake:
Learners may use "affiliation" when "merger" or "acquisition" is meant. An affiliation is a formal link or partnership; it does not necessarily mean the organizations become one or that one completely owns the other.
Synonyms
partnership (stresses cooperation and shared projects; may be less about formal structure than "affiliation" in corporate or legal documents)
|
association (broad term for any kind of link; may be looser and less formal than a defined affiliation)
Antonyms
separation (highlights that organizations are no longer linked or are kept apart structurally)
|
divestment (in business, focuses on selling or removing ownership, which usually ends an affiliation)
Collocations
corporate affiliation
|business affiliation
|affiliate marketing affiliation
|brand affiliation
|parent-company affiliation
|establish an affiliation
Themes
business
|law
Examples
- The clinic ended its affiliation with the university hospital after the contract expired.
- All subsidiaries must disclose their corporate affiliation in the annual report.
- The broadcaster maintains a loose affiliation with several regional stations.
- Their brand affiliation with a luxury label helped them enter the high‑end market.
- New regulations require companies to report any foreign affiliation.
Learner examples
- The local bank has an affiliation with a big international bank.
- The college is proud of its long affiliation with the research center.
- Several small shops work under the same brand affiliation.
- The two companies formed an affiliation to share technology.
- After the merger, their old affiliation with the partner ended.
Noun
formal
C2
relation
4
legal recognition of parentage
a legal decision that says who a child’s parent is, usually the father
Usage pattern:
affiliation proceedings between [parent] and [child]
Common mistake:
Learners are usually not aware of this specialized legal meaning and may misunderstand "affiliation proceedings" as something about clubs or organizations. In a legal or family‑law context, it refers to establishing who a child’s legal parent is.
Synonyms
paternity (focuses specifically on being the father; often used in "paternity suit" or "paternity test")
|
parentage (general term for who the parents are; not always limited to legal processes)
Antonyms
disavowal (in legal and everyday use, means denying or refusing a claimed parental link)
|
nonpaternity (technical/legal term emphasizing that a man is not the father)
Collocations
affiliation proceedings
|affiliation order
|establish affiliation
|dispute affiliation
|legal affiliation
|affiliation case
Themes
law
|family
|relationships
Examples
- The court opened affiliation proceedings after the mother filed a claim.
- An affiliation order was granted, legally recognizing him as the child’s father.
- Questions about the boy’s affiliation led to a lengthy legal dispute.
- Modern DNA tests have greatly simplified the process of establishing affiliation.
- The law provides support payments once affiliation is confirmed.
Learner examples
- The judge must decide the child’s affiliation.
- They went to court to prove the baby’s affiliation.
- After the test, the court made an affiliation order.
- In this country, affiliation is important for child support.
- The lawyer explained how affiliation works in family law.
Grammar
Dictionary form
affiliation
IPA
GB/əfˌɪliˈeɪʃən/
US/əfˌɪliˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
af - fil - i - ation (4 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (ation)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: affiliation
- Plural: affiliation, affiliations
Word family
Forms
affiliations
noun
Core family
affiliate
verb B2
affiliated
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unaffiliated
adjective
Advanced or less common
disaffiliate
verb
disaffiliation
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.