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.
"I'm loving it," he says about playing non-league 19 years after Mourinho sent him on for his Chelsea debut in the 89th minute against Everton on the final day of the 2006-07 Premier League season.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
An online fundraiser described Thakur as “a caring, loving, selfless, and generous young woman who gave so much of herself to others.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
In doing so, it saves cats and sets them on a path to a loving home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“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
O dear good faithful tender Joe, I feel the loving tremble of your hand upon my arm, as solemnly this day as if it had been the rustle of an angel’s wing!
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
