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.

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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

• darlingly adverb
• darlingness noun

Etymology

Origin of darling

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

Example Sentences

Cursor became a Silicon Valley darling by ushering in what insiders call the “vibe-coding” era—basically allowing non-engineers to build software, apps or websites without knowing how to write a line of C or Python.

From The Wall Street Journal

It also may be a good time to scoop up some former market darlings that are now on sale.

From Barron's

So, begin the new Germany, my darling, help it grow.

From Literature

The Azzurri, as they are known, have emerged as the unlikely darlings of the WBC, writes Jared Diamond.

From The Wall Street Journal

Team Italy became an unlikely darling of the WBC, sweeping the opening round and upsetting the U.S. to become one of three undefeated teams.

From The Wall Street Journal