loving
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of loving
First recorded before 1000; Middle English lovyng; replacing Middle English lovende, Old English lufiende; see love, -ing 2
Explanation
Someone loving is affectionate and caring. Your loving grandmother might be your favorite grandparent because she clearly adores you. You can be a loving sister or a loving babysitter, and you can also describe kind things you do as loving, like the loving hug you give your sad friend or your uncle's loving gesture of sending your aunt flowers on her birthday. The adjective loving comes from the Old English lufian, "to love or approve," from the root lufu, "love, affection, or friendliness."
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.
England forward Hemp said she was "loving" her "more fluid" role up front and gave an insight into what they have been doing on the training ground.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Catherine will see "first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children's development", said the Kensington Palace spokesman.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
Raised by working-class parents, he married into money and continues to be on loving terms with Evie in a beautiful house on the water.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
These are matters of the heart that can only be felt in the dark of the theater, watching such wonderfully realized characters weigh the cost of loving their work in a world that scarcely reciprocates.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
I thought, “Yet Joe, dear Joe, you never tell of it. Long-suffering and loving Joe, you never complain. Nor you, sweet-tempered Biddy!”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
