loving

1 of 2

adjective

lov·​ing ˈlə-viŋ How to pronounce loving (audio)
Synonyms of lovingnext
1
: affectionate
2
: painstaking
lovingly
ˈlə-viŋ-lē How to pronounce loving (audio)
adverb
lovingness noun

loving

2 of 2

present participle of love entry 2

Synonyms of loving

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of loving in a Sentence

Adjective The old house has undergone a loving restoration. they were a loving family, supporting each other when times were bad
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
In the series premiere, television personality and bestselling author Amanda Kloots opens up about grief, happiness and loving after loss. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 The child studying English was met with loving lament, while the one pursuing computer science at Stanford University was the flag post of family pride. — Kamau Bobb october 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026 Her mother is no longer in the picture, and her father is there but not a loving, present figure. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 God is the one divine Mind, and what God knows is what’s real – including each of us as His creation, spiritual, loving, whole, and helpful. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for loving

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of loving was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing loving

Rhymes for loving

See All Rhymes for loving

Browse Nearby Words

lovey-dovey
loving
loving cup
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loving. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

loving

adjective
lov·​ing
ˈləv-iŋ
: feeling or showing love : affectionate
loving care
a loving glance
lovingly adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All