- 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.
“The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone—me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients,” he said in a statement released days after the killings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
"See it as part of the process of separating and loving you, missing you, which is really important."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
"It was like being with the funnest, most loving, most caring and closest member of your family."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The duo also shared the screen in Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana,” where Parton played the loving “Aunt Dolly” to Miley’s titular teenage pop star.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny pictured their loving parents, and wished more than ever that the fire had not occurred.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
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.
