fondling

American  

[fond-ling, fon-dl-ing] / ˈfɒnd lɪŋ, ˈfɒn dl ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of caressing or touching lovingly or tenderly.

   A few of us knitting enthusiasts met yesterday at Yarn Barn for a couple of hours of browsing, yarn fondling, and coffee.

2. the act of molesting someone sexually by touching or caressing.

   The inappropriate groping and fondling from a trusted adult male figure—her mother’s boyfriend—traumatized her.

---

adjective

1. touching or caressing in either of these ways.

   She stroked him with gentle, fondling fingers.

Other Word Forms

• fondlingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of fondling

First recorded in 1580–90; fondl(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; fondl(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

Fondling some sheep’s sorrel, Tallberg asked himself, “Why does this go to the sheep?”

From Washington Post

Fondling the needlepoint, Schlesinger exulted: "This is the end of the Thirty Years' War."

From Time Magazine Archive

Fondling some sheep’s sorrel, Tallberg asked himself, “Why does this go to the sheep?”

From Washington Post

Fondling a martini, flaked out on the sofa in his Beverly Hills home, bald, bespectacled Gene Kelly could pass as the aging big star lapsing into the big fadeout.

From Time Magazine Archive

Fondling the trembling creature against her cheek, she talked first to him, then to his abashed persecutors.

From Maida's Little Shop by Gillmore, Inez Haynes

Related Words

• extravagance
• kindness
• leniency
• permissiveness
• privilege