darling

¹ American  

[dahr-ling] / ˈdɑr lɪŋ /

noun

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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• darlingly adverb
• darlingness noun

Etymology

Origin of darling

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

Example Sentences

Manhattan fried chicken darling, Coqodaq served chicken nuggets with caviar last year, and its signature orange box went viral across social media.

From Salon

They have been hit hard by a broader slump affecting the priciest and most-speculative corners of the market—from bitcoin to AI darlings such as CoreWeave.

From The Wall Street Journal

Among the biggest losers are some former AI darlings that have lost their shine.

From MarketWatch

The current series follows the fall-out when "a splashy fintech darling bursts onto the London scene", according to the publicity released ahead of the show's scheduled broadcast in the new year.

From BBC

Forget about throwing a stick; as one young woman told me while her wet-nosed darling relieved himself in the park, you must wipe a Frenchie’s butt.

From The Wall Street Journal