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• darling
  darling

  noun

  a person very dear to another; one dearly loved.
• Darling
  Darling

  noun

  Jay Norwood Ding, 1876–1962, U.S. political cartoonist.

darling

¹ American  

[dahr-ling] / ˈdɑr lɪŋ /

noun

• darlings
  plural

1. a person very dear to another; one dearly loved.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address.

3. a person or thing in great favor; a favorite.

   She was the darling of caf é society.

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adjective

1. very dear; dearly loved.

   my darling child.

2. favorite; cherished.

3. Informal. charming; cute; lovable.

   What a darling baby!

Darling ² American  

[dahr-ling] / ˈdɑr lɪŋ /

noun

1. Jay Norwood Ding, 1876–1962, U.S. political cartoonist.

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darling ¹ British  

/ ˈdɑːlɪŋ /

noun

1. a person very much loved: often used as a term of address

2. a favourite

   the teacher's darling

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adjective

1. beloved

2. much admired; pleasing

   a darling hat

Darling ² British  

/ ˈdɑːlɪŋ /

noun

1. Grace. 1815–42, English national heroine, famous for her rescue (1838) of some shipwrecked sailors with her father, a lighthouse keeper

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• darlingness
  noun
• darlingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• darlings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of darling

before 900; Middle English derling, Old English dēorling. See dear ¹, -ling ¹

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Explanation

Use the word darling for someone you love or care for deeply. Your sweet old grandmother probably calls you darling. You can describe someone as being your darling, or address them that way: "I missed you so much while I was working on that fishing boat, darling!" Another way to use the word is for a generally lovable person: "Everyone adores Timmy, he's such a darling." The Old English root is deorling, a diminutive of deor, "dear."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

darling Darling darlings

Alibaba, one of China’s biggest tech companies, and DeepSeek, China’s AI darling, are based nearby.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

But there was still time for resident villain Horwood to direct a jibe at broadcaster Will Best's hip action: "Call in the paramedics darling, dislocation - my goodness."

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

It continues the show’s darling status on the awards circuit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

“This morning, just after midnight, we lost our darling son and brother James, in a motor accident. We respectfully ask for privacy as a family, as we process this profound loss,” the post read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Grandpa said, "Nadia, are you there? Are you on the line, darling?"

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

“This year, more Rioters are working together from our L.A. office than at any point since we returned in 2022,” said the company’s president, Darling, using the company’s nickname for Riot employees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Pip Burley, who worked on the ITV 90s comedy-drama The Darling Buds of May, recalled meeting the Hollywood star in the reception room of his final casting session.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

“There is no question many people will have such machines in their homes eventually,” Darling told me, “and develop real emotional connections to them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Johnson said Alan, who died last year, was given to him by his former housemate, Paul Darling.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Even Darling had been bathed and she wore a red bow around her neck.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

The critics tangle with Taylor Swift: The singer’s recent singles, including “Patient Zero,” have not, to put it mildly, been critical darlings, but they are holding steady on the charts.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

“We’ve gone through several rotations in and out of AI darlings, but there’s always been a peripheral group that has more debt out there than anybody’s comfortable with,” Hogan said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The list even includes some erstwhile AI darlings, like Broadcom and Vistra.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Instead, a new set of tech darlings has emerged, Powers said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

“My darlings, my vipers,” Great Ellen had called them.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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