Outloved

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have been the object of more affection than another person
2. To have been the recipient of greater affection compared to someone else
3. To have enjoyed a larger share of love or fondness than another individual

Etymology: "Outloved" is the past tense and past participle of "outlove," a verb formed by attaching the prefix "out-" to "love." The prefix here carries its common English sense of surpassing or exceeding, so to outlove someone is to love more, or to be loved more, than they are. The pattern is a straightforward one: English has long made verbs such as outrun, outshine, and outlive by adding "out-" to an existing word to mean doing something better or further than another. The verb's meaning follows that sense closely. When someone is described as having been "outloved," the idea is that another person received the greater share of affection in a relationship or comparison. Because "love" is an old and ordinary English word, the coinage needs no special explanation beyond its two parts, which is why the formation feels immediately transparent to speakers.

Synonyms: loved more, cherished more, valued more