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Synonyms

loving

American  
[luhv-ing] / ˈlʌv ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. feeling or showing love; warmly affectionate; fond.

    loving glances.
loving British  
/ ˈlʌvɪŋ /

adjective

  1. feeling, showing, or indicating love and affection

"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
loving Idioms  

  1. see tender loving care.

Other Word Forms

  • lovingly adverb
  • lovingness noun
  • nonloving adjective
  • unloving adjective

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Jade, a design manager, said David was "full of life, funny and loving" and that he was "buzzing" in the weeks leading up to the run.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

For now, quantum investors are loving what the company has to say about the nascent industry’s potential.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

In “London Falling,” Patrick Radden Keefe investigates how Brettler, the well-educated son of loving parents, went overboard, and whether he was forced by mutual friends.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Sullivan described his son as a "beautiful, lovely, outgoing, loving boy".

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Could their future be united, but this time in a good way, joined not by bondage but by loving hearts and shared Mvskoke values?

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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.