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.

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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

“It was for one of the Shakespeare histories and it was just close-ups of a man fondling his cuffs and touching his tie,” Kingsman said on a recent afternoon.

From New York Times

In movie after movie, Streep is constantly fidgeting with, fondling, removing or twirling her glasses.

From New York Times

The hypocrisy is rank enough; in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the comic-turned-moralizer yells, presumably at the Black parents he disapproves of, “Believe a child when she says somebody’s fondling her!”

From Washington Post

Three of the charges accuse O’Brien of indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14 for fondling a girl who was either 9 or 10 on three occasions between 2013 and 2015.

From Seattle Times

Then I would bring out the rice, and measure it, and run the grain through my fingers for sheer love of it, fondling it like a simpleton.

From Literature

Related Words

• extravagance
• kindness
• leniency
• permissiveness
• privilege