darling
noun
a person very dear to another; one dearly loved.
darling
1 American
[dahr-ling]
/ ˈdɑr lɪŋ /
noun
-
darlings
plural
-
a person very dear to another; one dearly loved.
-
(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address.
-
a person or thing in great favor; a favorite.
She was the darling of caf é society.
adjective
-
very dear; dearly loved.
my darling child.
-
favorite; cherished.
-
Informal. charming; cute; lovable.
What a darling baby!
Darling
2
American
[dahr-ling]
/ ˈdɑr lɪŋ /
noun
darling
1
British
/ ˈdɑːlɪŋ /
noun
-
a person very much loved: often used as a term of address
-
a favourite
the teacher's darling
adjective
-
beloved
-
much admired; pleasing
a darling hat
Darling
2
British
/ ˈdɑːlɪŋ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of darling
before 900; Middle English derling, Old English dēorling. See dear 1, -ling 1
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."
Vocabulary lists containing darling
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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.
See Examples For:
Ainsley has a reputation for being a festival darling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
When “It Ends” premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2025, it was not exactly the runaway darling of the year’s programming.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Her company was one of the first to invest in Chinese robotics darling Unitree, whose share price soared over 600 percent on its debut in Shanghai on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
"She was like, 'Come in darling... come and sit'," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“What do we need a phone for, my darling? The general populace does not need to know our whereabouts, and those who love us can always find us.”
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
There was table tennis, darts and computer games available at the team's luxury hotel, which overlooked Darling Harbour.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Riot decided on a radical revamp of its policies to allow more flexibility, said Riot President Hoby Darling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Originally from Croydon, Burley revealed he found The Darling Buds of May easier to write than to cast, with the role of Mariette proving especially hard as "lots of young actresses just didn't excite us".
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
She stepped down and walked toward the underpass that cut across Darling Street.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Many of the market’s AI darlings, from Sandisk to Microsoft, then rallied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
However such a shift within the market may mean problems for current investor darlings.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
Fast-casual restaurant stocks were the growth darlings of the postpandemic dining boom, but the past year has been a reality check.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
The "silver darlings", as they were known, brought wealth but it was the discovery of black gold in 1969 which transformed the city and the nation.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Everyone but the children knew that she always proclaimed her darlings the winner, when she could get away with it.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
