loving
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
I’m just loving this little piece that’s being shown to me.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
“It’s all right being loving and caring, but you’ve got to care for your own,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
"All my mates' mums, they're loving it more than my mates are," says 20-year-old Kush.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
In “The Other Bennet Sister,” Janice Hadlow, who wrote the 2020 novel on which the 10-episode series is based, plays the loving benefactor with a reading that’s far more generous and understanding.
From Salon • May 20, 2026
With a weary, loving, unthinking movement that showed she had done this thousands of times before, Nokomis replaced the blankets.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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.
