adjective
preposition
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of touching
Explanation
Something that is touching affects you emotionally—it makes you feel sad or tender. A touching video about baby hedgehogs might even make your stoic older sister cry. The adjective touching comes from a particular meaning of the verb touch, "to affect or move mentally or emotionally," from the idea that something has "touched" your mind or heart. Your book report might describe the story you read as touching if it left you wiping away a tear.
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.
Death is not the only source of lasting pain, of course: Ms. Carr writes with touching power of the divorce-related family separations of her own girlhood.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Traditional funeral practices in this region also involve touching the bodies of the dead; when health workers tried to block that from happening, residents only became more suspicious.
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
Who knows: Maybe years from now, she’ll even make a touching, emotionally astute movie about it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
The Hollywood Reporter was similarly positive, calling the series "sharply funny and unexpectedly touching".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Colin leans over and, without even touching the diary, inserts the wire and springs the lock.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
