darling

¹

[dahr-ling]

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

[dahr-ling]

noun

1. Jay Norwood Ding, 1876–1962, U.S. political cartoonist.

darling

¹

/ 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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of darling¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of darling¹

Old English dēorling; see _dear , _-ling ¹

Example Sentences

Or, to cite an example from just this year, you wouldn’t have wait to hear that Brazil submitted Cannes darling “The Secret Agent” over “Manas,” which counts Sean Penn among its executive producers.

From Los Angeles Times

“I love you so much, darling,” the video states.

From Los Angeles Times

Orbán had been a darling of the American right for some time, appearing at Conservative Political Action Conference gatherings and even hosting them in Budapest.

From Salon

It's named after the Farsi word for "my darling" and features an ear-tingling riff on the santur - a hammered dulcimer of Iranian origin.

From BBC

He was condescending when he called her “darling” and referred to her question as “fake news.”

From Los Angeles Times