noun
dalliance
DALEERNS
noun
1
A brief, playful romance or flirtation, not meant to be serious.
"Their summer dalliance never turned into anything more."
"The gossip columns hinted at a dalliance between the two stars."
2
Time spent idly or without purpose.
"After months of dalliance, the project finally moved forward."
How to Use Dalliance
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA short, casual fling — or, more generally, time wasted without getting anything done.
Common pairings
brief dalliance
a dalliance with
Word Forms
dalliances plural
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Etymology
From dally plus the suffix -ance, ultimately from Old French dalier ("to chat, to flirt").