caring
Americanadjective
-
feeling or showing care for, concern about, or attentiveness to other people's needs; compassionate; thoughtful.
I often speak of our desire to build a smart and caring nation that nurtures its citizens.
He's such a caring person and a great friend to me.
-
relating to the task of identifying and tending to the needs of others, especially those who cannot look after themselves.
The study showed that in this country, women are responsible for the bulk of unpaid domestic and caring work.
Empathy is important in caring professions such as nursing and social work, but avoiding burnout is also essential.
noun
adjective
-
feeling or showing care and compassion
a caring attitude
-
of or relating to professional social or medical care
nursing is a caring job
noun
Other Word Forms
- caringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of caring
First recorded in 1550–60; care ( def. ), -ing 1 ( def. ), -ing 2 ( def. )
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.
“I’ve been caring for my mother, and we each currently occupy a unit in the house.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Males die within months after mating while female giant Pacific octopuses lay tens of thousands of eggs and then enter senescence, caring and protecting the eggs until death.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
On the other hand, Kruger said that Palantir and Karp, its CEO, have simply stopped caring about public perception, and do not mind being saying “widely viewed as one of the more evil tech companies.”
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
"Councils have a duty to their residents to collect taxes so important services, like caring for older and disabled people, protecting children, collecting bins and fixing roads are not affected," a spokesman said.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
We fly down the hill, and I flop onto the moss, not caring that the damp of it will soak through my new dress.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
