loving
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of loving
First recorded before 1000; Middle English lovyng; replacing Middle English lovende, Old English lufiende; see love, -ing 2
Explanation
Someone loving is affectionate and caring. Your loving grandmother might be your favorite grandparent because she clearly adores you. You can be a loving sister or a loving babysitter, and you can also describe kind things you do as loving, like the loving hug you give your sad friend or your uncle's loving gesture of sending your aunt flowers on her birthday. The adjective loving comes from the Old English lufian, "to love or approve," from the root lufu, "love, affection, or friendliness."
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.
Heat loving amoebae may be able to survive and spread in regions where they were once uncommon, increasing the chance of human exposure.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
Charlie had been a devoted and loving father, and it crushed her to think that their children—then aged one and three—would have few, if any, personal memories of him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Sentencing McCullagh on Wednesday, Mr Justice Kinney said: "Natalie was strong, loving and an independent young woman."
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Rarely can one film feel so observant of how our memories of a person and a time can change in the space between loving them and losing them.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
Could their future be united, but this time in a good way, joined not by bondage but by loving hearts and shared Mvskoke values?
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
