fawning
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fawning
First recorded in 1325–75; fawn 2 + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; fawn 2 + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun
Explanation
Use fawning to describe someone who's over the top in the flattery department. Like a fawning admirer who just won't stop complimenting your looks, showering you with gifts and otherwise kissing the ground you walk on. From the Old English fægnian, meaning “rejoice, exult, be glad,” fawning can be both an adjective and a noun form of the verb fawn. Fawning people are often trying to win favor with the person being flattered, and it sometimes comes off as sucking up. So do everyone a favor and don't try to boost your poor grades by fawning over your professor’s every word.
Vocabulary lists containing fawning
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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.
We young women standing in front of her, fawning and asking for a photo, were the future of her work.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
That love is palpable in “Drifting Toward Twilight” and its accompanying documentary, which sees Saar fawning over the orange tint of sloughed bark and the mystical qualities of garden scraps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
But behind closed doors, NATO’s European leaders seem also to have done enough of the same fawning to win over Trump—at least according to Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Kelly Loeffler, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, was especially fawning.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
Stewards in black and white walked around with trays and fawning smiles, their heads held inanely high.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
