Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Casual romantic or sexual activity.
- noun A casual or brief romantic or sexual relationship.
- noun A brief involvement or interest in something.
- noun Frivolous spending of time; dawdling.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Familiar and easy conversation; idle talk; chat; gossip.
- noun A trifling away of time; delay; idle loitering.
- noun Play; sport; frolic; toying, as in the exchange of caresses; wantonness.
- noun The act of trifling, as with something tempting.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act of dallying, trifling, or fondling; interchange of caresses; wanton play.
- noun Delay or procrastination.
- noun obsolete Entertaining discourse.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A sexual relationship, not serious but often
illicit .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun playful behavior intended to arouse sexual interest
- noun the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word dalliance.
Examples
-
The same sort of dalliance is going on in Manchester according to Hopi Sen
Reptiles Manoeuvre For Power Newmania 2008
-
Her long-term dalliance with the party, and in-her-position-as-governor publicly stated support for them, raises a serious question about her first loyalty. which is it, Alaska or the USA?
GOP Rep. Says There's No "Thread" Of Patriotism In Obama's Background 2009
-
His needs were met by the anonymous prostitutes of the Marine district, and by the occasional short-term dalliance with fellow civil servants.
-
Leontius, a Eustathius, or a Brutus, would rather pass his hours in dalliance with an unlettered courtezan, than in the conversation of a Theano, a
Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination 1799
-
a Pythagoras, a Leontius, a Eustathius, or a Brutus, would rather pass his hours in dalliance with an unlettered courtezan, than in the conversation of a Theano, a
Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination 1799
-
In his biography, Andrew Motion called the dalliance with Patsy "the most happily erotic" of Larkin's relationships.
-
We're also glad to see it's not just a lesbian dalliance, which is a storyline much more suited for college students on television.
From Inside the Box 2009
-
The idea of mixing religion with official military functions is more frightening and dangerous than government in general in some kind of dalliance with it.
-
I take it to signify any occasion when one attains a degree of maturity or adulthood, e.g. a bar mitzvah, or more generally a rite of passage such as dalliance with Mr Arnott's alluring Ms Fagg!
Azed slip No 2,010 2010
-
The woman in question who apparently was having some kind of dalliance, according to reports with Tiger Woods, not confirmed by any credible media source, has done an interview with "The New York Post," on the record, explaining her position and explaining what she thinks has been outlandish lies and rumors about her.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.