- present participle of love.
loving
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of loving
First recorded before 1000; Middle English lovyng; replacing Middle English lovende, Old English lufiende; see love, -ing 2
Explanation
Someone loving is affectionate and caring. Your loving grandmother might be your favorite grandparent because she clearly adores you. You can be a loving sister or a loving babysitter, and you can also describe kind things you do as loving, like the loving hug you give your sad friend or your uncle's loving gesture of sending your aunt flowers on her birthday. The adjective loving comes from the Old English lufian, "to love or approve," from the root lufu, "love, affection, or friendliness."
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.
But trauma triggers can be an issue when conception happens outside a clinic, in the context of a loving relationship—and they can be scary to deal with.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
But I was happily surrounded by Tail Town’s 39 loving and free-roaming cat residents, all up for adoption and curious about humans staying overnight in their 2,000-square-foot domain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
And I am here, finally understanding that loving a place from afar is not the same as loving it.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
After 60 years of loving to drive, it wasn’t easy to admit that Elon Musk is a better programmer than I am a driver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Even if you hate them, it’s a loving thing to do.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions 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.
