Dictionary

enemies-to-lovers en · NOUN

Pronunciation

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Meanings

1. (attributive, often, uncountable) A trope in romance fiction (particularly fan fiction) involving the development of an antagonistic relationship into romantic love.
   • I know that she never falls asleep before 2 a.m. and her favourite fanfic trope is enemies-to-lovers and she’s secretly a fan of Ariana Grande. 2018, Alice Oseman, I Was Born for This, unnumbered page:
   • And that’s because Go Hex Yourself is a romantic masterpiece, and the sexiest, most bewitching take on enemies-to-lovers I’ve read in ages. 2023, Ali Hazelwood, praise blurb in Jessica Clare, What the Hex, page 1
   • When I read a book now, I think I'm much more trope-aware, because before I read fanfiction, I don't even think I fully understood what tropes were. So now I see, like, when a book has enemies-to-lovers, I see it, and I'm like, oh-oh. 2023, Tara, quoted Fabienne Silberstein-Bamford, "The 'Fanfic Lens': Fan Writing's Impact on Media Consumption", Volume 19, Issue 2, March 2023, page 156
   • “And for everyone rooting for this little enemies-to-lovers tale...” 2013, Maisey Yates, The Couple Who Fooled the World, Mills & Boon, page 42:

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