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Showing results for touching. Search instead for touchily.
Synonyms

touching

American  
[tuhch-ing] / ˈtʌtʃ ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. affecting; moving; pathetic.

    a touching scene of farewell.
    Synonyms:
    piteous, poignant, stirring

  2. that touches.

    Synonyms:
    tangent

preposition

  1. in reference or relation to; concerning; about.

    He wrote touching future plans.
touching British  
/ ˈtʌtʃɪŋ /

adjective

  1. evoking or eliciting tender feelings

    your sympathy is touching
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

preposition

  1. on the subject of; relating to

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • touchingly adverb
  • touchingness noun
  • untouching adjective

Etymology

Origin of touching

First recorded in 1250–1300; touch + -ing 2

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.

They communicate by touching each other with their trunks, smelling each other and vocalizing.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Trimming the wine budget is one thing; touching the office snacks, like bananas or Kind bars, can be a no-go.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

"With the long-awaited four-day Easter weekend almost within touching distance, the cost of getting away by car is going to be noticeably higher this year," said RAC head of policy Simon Williams.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Mortgage rates climbed for a fourth straight week following the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, and they are now touching levels last seen in September.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

They leaned together so that their foreheads were touching.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis

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.