lovey

American

[luhv-ee] / ˈlʌv i /

noun

Chiefly British Informal.

sweetheart; dear (used as a term of endearment).

lovey British

/ ˈlʌvɪ /

noun

informal another word for love

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lovey

First recorded in 1725–35; love + -ey ²

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.

See Examples For:

lovey

I didn’t want to make it all too lovey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2024

When I was deployed on an aircraft carrier, a lot more men than you might think brought some kind of lovey with them.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 13, 2021

I spent my whole pregnancy angry and resentful, but I kept thinking the happy, lovey feelings would come later.

From Slate ● Feb. 16, 2018

He’d be kissing the receiver and lavishing affection – ‘Hello, lovey dovey’ – on a dog!

From The Guardian ● Dec. 7, 2012

Ivy hugged them to her chest like a lovey.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023