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.
Mr. Ferrer’s portrait of Hepburn is loving and respectful, a welcome change from books written by the disaffected children of such stars as Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and Bing Crosby.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
As a consultant, I was making good money and loving it — until the work dried up.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
“In some ways, ‘PEN15’ was a reaction to loving memoirs,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
McNally said police and residents had been "amazing", adding the kittens were "loving the attention".
From BBC • May 1, 2026
“You come visit me in the Serenity Suite, and I’ll know you’re there. I’ll send you loving thoughts—you’ll feel them! We’U be as close as we are right now, here in these azaleas.”
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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.
