Besotted
adjective /bɪˈsɒtɪd/ — Completely and helplessly in love; infatuated beyond reason.
Definition
So strongly infatuated with someone as to be unable to think clearly about them — in love in a way that has made ordinary critical faculties temporarily unavailable.
Beyond the definition
Besotted is not a compliment or a criticism — it's simply an accurate observation. The besotted person has lost the ability to see their beloved clearly, and for a while this doesn't matter to them at all. It matters to everyone else, who can see quite clearly.
Origin & history
From 'besotten' — past participle of 'besot' (to make stupid or foolish with drink or love), from 'be-' (intensive) + 'sot' (fool). To be besotted is to be made foolish — a verb describing a condition everyone has experienced.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
He was besotted in a way that his friends found both endearing and alarming.
She was besotted for exactly three months — then the clarity returned, gentler than expected.
Besotted is love before it's been acquainted with the ordinary.
Synonyms
infatuated, smitten, enamoured, lovestruck
Antonyms
indifferent, clear-eyed, rational
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Partner copying the other's style
One adult confidently chooses a coat while their partner copies their posture, looking at the other for social cues.
The partner’s washed-out appearance and need for cues suggest they are so infatuated or focused on the other that their own critical faculties are faded. This besotted state shows them setting aside their own interests to mirror the one they admire.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration