The action of the verb to love.
"She gave him a loving hug before he left for his long trip."
In plain English: Loving is the feeling of caring deeply for someone and wanting to make them happy.
"He showed his loving through small acts of kindness every day."
Usage: Loving is rarely used as a standalone noun in modern English; instead, use the gerund form of loving or simply the word love to describe the action of caring deeply for someone. When you need a noun phrase, say "the act of loving" rather than trying to use loving alone.
present participle of love
"She spent her entire day loving her new puppy, brushing its fur and playing fetch until it was exhausted."
In plain English: To love someone means to care about them deeply and want the best for them.
"The couple spent their anniversary loving each other with all their hearts."
Usage: Use "loving" to describe someone who actively shows deep affection or care through their actions, rather than just feeling it internally. It often modifies nouns like "parent," "partner," or "friend" to emphasize a nurturing and devoted attitude.
Expressing a large amount of love to other people; affectionate.
"Their loving gestures, from surprise breakfasts to handwritten notes, made everyone in the office feel truly cared for."
In plain English: Loving describes someone who cares deeply about others and shows them affection.
"She gave her grandchildren lots of loving hugs every time they visited."
Usage: Use "loving" to describe actions or behaviors that show deep affection and care toward others, such as a loving hug or a loving gesture. Avoid using it to describe inanimate objects unless they are personified to convey warmth.
A surname.
"My neighbor, Mr. Loving, invited me over for dinner on Sunday."
The word loving comes from the Old English noun lufung, meaning "love," which was carried into Middle and then Modern English as a form of that same root. Although it looks like a simple combination of "love" plus the suffix "-ing," its history traces back to this older Germanic term rather than being created recently by joining those two parts.