fawning
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of fawning
First recorded in 1325–75; fawn 2 + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; fawn 2 + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun
Explanation
Use fawning to describe someone who's over the top in the flattery department. Like a fawning admirer who just won't stop complimenting your looks, showering you with gifts and otherwise kissing the ground you walk on. From the Old English fægnian, meaning “rejoice, exult, be glad,” fawning can be both an adjective and a noun form of the verb fawn. Fawning people are often trying to win favor with the person being flattered, and it sometimes comes off as sucking up. So do everyone a favor and don't try to boost your poor grades by fawning over your professor’s every word.
Vocabulary lists containing fawning
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Of Mice and Men
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fawning adoration was the coin of the realm, but it could only rent you real estate near the big guy.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2023
Fawning over him was a core part of the populist playbook.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2022
Fawning is too mild an adjective to describe this remarkable document.
From Washington Post • Dec. 14, 2020
Fawning was on the menu alongside grilled beef tenderloin, as several bosses expressed their gratitude for the president’s tax cut and policy of deregulation.
From The Guardian • Jan. 27, 2018
Or in the afternoon, his faithful dog, Fawning upon him, make his heart forget At such a time, and such a time, to have heard What he shall hear no more?
From Poems by Jean Ingelow, In Two Volumes, Volume II. by Ingelow, Jean
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
