attachment.

1. An emotional bond that draws a person toward another person, place or valued thing.

2. An additional object or component connected to a main object, including a file sent with an electronic message.

3. A legal process that seizes or restrains property to secure a claim, satisfy an obligation or enforce a court order.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• emotional attachment
• attachment to a caregiver

On the page

Her attachment to the house persisted even after she recognized its practical disadvantages.

The study examined attachment to a caregiver without classifying every separation response as a disorder.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Singular attachment; plural attachments. Also uncountable for a bond or fastening process. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation analysis, behavioral comparison, qualification. Disciplines: psychology, social behavior, character writing. Commonness: common.