- 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.
Eleanor, who worked for housing association Valleys to Coast which runs the complex, has been described by her family as the "kindest, most loving, bravest person in the world".
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge this—most people prefer to keep up the pretense that all families have tight, loving relationships—but it’s the reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Later, it gave his girlfriend and me the same cafe, each of us loving him in a different way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Mr. Douglas relates that his father, after suffering a stroke in 1996, came to regret his emotional deficiencies and tried to become more loving and present.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
She tried to get me to drink a glass of milk, couldn’t get over a girl my age loving coffee so much.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
