Adoring

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Expressing deep love and admiration toward someone or something
2. Showing strong affection and a high level of respect or admiration for someone or something cherished
3. Having a strong feeling of love and reverence for someone or something treasured

Etymology: "Adoring" is simply the -ing form of "adore," so its story is really the story of the verb. "Adore" passed into English from Old French "adorer," which in turn came from Latin "adorare," built from "ad" ("to") and "orare" ("to speak"). The Latin sense was specifically "to pray to," so the word began as a religious act: addressing a god or sacred figure in speech. Over the centuries that devotional meaning drifted toward a more personal kind of reverence. Speaking to someone in worship gradually became feeling intense love or admiration for them. "Adoring" carries that shift forward, describing a gaze or attitude that is full of devotion rather than of prayer. The idea of speaking toward something remains in the word's root, even though the speaker is now usually a lover rather than a worshipper.

Synonyms: loving, admiring, cherishing, worshipping

Antonyms: despising, hating, disliking