loving

lov·ing
L1O1V4I1N1G2
Canada, US, UK, Scotland/ˈlʌv.ɪŋ/Australia/ˈlɐv.ɪŋ/New Zealand/ˈlɐv.əŋ/India/ˈləv.ɪŋ/

noun

The action of the verb to love.

“his loving wife, her loving husband”

Opposite
CommonScrabble 10

Meanings

loving1

nounloving (usually uncountable, plural lovings)

plural lovings

  1. uncountableusuallyThe action of the verb to love.

    all natural lovings and longings

    1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 132, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC
adjectiveloving (comparative lovinger or more loving, superlative lovingest or most loving)

comparative lovinger · comparative more loving · superlative lovingest · superlative most loving

  1. Expressing a large amount of love to other people; affectionate.

    his loving wife, her loving husband

    Synonyms: adoring, affectionate, affectionate, caring, cordial, dear, fond, soft

  2. USattributiveeuphemisticslangEuphemistic form of fucking.

    At long lovin’ last!

    1995, John Sack, Company C: The Real War in Iraq, 1st edition, quoted in Green's Dictionary of Slang, New York City, NY: William Morrow & Company, published 1995, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, →Goodreads, page 151, line 18
    3 more examples

    I want you to have every loving brother’s sister’s cousin’s child downstairs and standing at attention at six o’clock.

    1962, John Oliver Killens, “Part I [1]: The Planting Season — Chapter 2”, in And Then We Heard The Thunder (Books for Young Readers), 1st edition, quoted in Green's Dictionary of Slang, New York City, NY: Alfred A[braham]. Knopf, Inc[orporated]., published 1964, →ISBN, →OL, page 13, lines 25–27

    “Anderson,” said Beaupre, “you think we’re going to see any lovin’ Viet Congs today?”

    1966, David Halberstam, one very hot day, quoted in Green's Dictionary of Slang, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, published 1967, page 51, lines 26–27

    “ Eat and drink like a loving pig,” he says, patting the bulge under his parka.

    1977, John Langone, Life at the Bottom: The People of Antarctica, 1st edition, quoted in Green's Dictionary of Slang, Boston—Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, published 1977, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 76, lines 26–27
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of love

Loving2

proper nounLoving (countable and uncountable, plural Lovings)

plural Lovings

  1. countableuncountableA surname.
  2. A placename
    1. countableuncountableA village in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States.
    2. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Oklahoma, United States.
    3. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Loving County.
  3. USabbreviationellipsisinformaluncountablegovernmentEllipsis of Loving v. Virginia, a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized interacial marriage under the Equal Protection and Due Process; and reaffirmed the existence of a right to privacy under due process following the 14th Amendment.

Synonyms & antonyms

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivefeeling or showing love and affection

Opposite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Englishlufung
  2. Middle Englishlovyng(e)
  3. Englishloving

Inherited from Middle English lovyng(e) (“love”), inherited from Old English lufung. By surface analysis, love + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُحِبّ, وَدُود
  • مُحِبّ (muḥibb)expressing a large amount of love
  • وَدُود (wadūd)expressing a large amount of love
Bulgarian любя́щ, лю́бещ
  • любя́щ (ljubjášt)expressing a large amount of love
  • лю́бещ (ljúbešt)expressing a large amount of love
Catalan amorós
  • amorósexpressing a large amount of love
Chinese Mandarin 爱心, 愛心 /爱心
  • 爱心 (àixīn)expressing a large amount of love
  • 愛心 /爱心 (àixīn)expressing a large amount of love
Czech milující
  • milujícíexpressing a large amount of love
Esperanto ama, amema
  • amaexpressing a large amount of love
  • amemaexpressing a large amount of love
  • amplenaexpressing a large amount of love
  • amantaexpressing a large amount of love
Finnish rakastava
  • rakastavaexpressing a large amount of love
French aimant
  • aimantexpressing a large amount of love
German liebend
  • liebendexpressing a large amount of love
Greek στοργικός
  • στοργικός (storgikós)expressing a large amount of love
Hungarian szerető
  • szeretőexpressing a large amount of love
Irish grámhar, cionmhar
  • grámharexpressing a large amount of love
  • cionmharexpressing a large amount of love
  • ceanúilexpressing a large amount of love
  • armacachexpressing a large amount of love
  • muirneachexpressing a large amount of love
  • geanúilexpressing a large amount of love
Italian amoroso, amorevole
  • amorosoexpressing a large amount of love
  • amorevoleexpressing a large amount of love
Japanese 愛する
  • 愛する (ai-suru)expressing a large amount of love
Māori mateoha
  • mateohaexpressing a large amount of love
Polish kochający m sg or, kochająca
  • kochający m sg orexpressing a large amount of love
  • kochającaexpressing a large amount of love
  • kochające n sg orexpressing a large amount of love
Portuguese amoroso
  • amorosoexpressing a large amount of love
Russian лю́бящий, любвеобильный
  • лю́бящий (ljúbjaščij)expressing a large amount of love
  • любвеобильный (ljubveobilʹnyj)expressing a large amount of love
Spanish cariñoso, amoroso
  • cariñosoexpressing a large amount of love
  • amorosoexpressing a large amount of love
  • querendónexpressing a large amount of love
Swedish kärleksfull, öm
  • kärleksfullexpressing a large amount of love
  • ömexpressing a large amount of love
Ukrainian люблячий
  • люблячий (ljubljačyj)expressing a large amount of love

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with loving

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

loving. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loving

MLA

“loving.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loving. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loving,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loving.

Source: loving on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.