endearing en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (General-American) audio
- (Australia) audio
- /ɛn-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɪnˈdɪəɹɪŋ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɪnˈdɪɹɪŋ/ (General-American)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Old French en-bor. Middle English en- English en- English dear English endear English -ing English endearing From endear + -ing.
Meanings
-
Inspiring affection or love, often in a childlike way.
BELIEVE me, if all those endearing young charms, / Which I gaze on so fondly to-day, / Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms, / Like fairy-gifts fading away,— / Thou wouldst stil be ador'd as this moment thou art, / Let thy loveliness fade as it will; / And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart / Would entwine itself verdantly still!
1808, John [Andrew] Stevenson, Thomas Moore, “Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms”, in A Selection of Irish Melodies. […], second number, London: Printed and sold at J. Power's Music & Instrument Warehouse, […], →OCLC, stanza I, page 112:Or what is conveyed to those unversed in railway matters by reports following a shed visit that "the frame of Claud Hamilton lay in the boneyard and had many endearing messages of farewell chalked on it"?
1951 April, R. S. McNaught, “Railway Enthusiasts”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 269:[…] I dare not call him father, nor he, without shame, own me as his issue, I being illegitimate, and therefore deprived of that endearing tenderness and unparalleled satisfaction which a good man finds in the love and conversation of a parent.
1711 November 2 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “MONDAY, October 23, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 203; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, pages 26–27:In legitimate comedy actresses conformed to a Victorian image of coquetry. Most comediennes were termed soubrettes, after their inclination for depicting young women in a variety of situations, in which the soubrettes employed their diverse popular talents to heighten their endearing magnetism.
1983, Chad Evans, “The Road to British Columbia”, in Frontier Theatre: A History of Nineteenth-century Theatrical Entertainment in the Canadian Far West and Alaska, Victoria, B.C.: Sono Nis Press, →ISBN, page 143:And yet [Nathan] Jones is perfect in Fury Road, a deeply dangerous human weapon who, because of his infantile need for respect from his father, somehow turns out endearing even though we see him ripping an engine from the hood and throwing it at the good guys.
2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road Might Already be the Best Action Movie Ever Made”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 22 Feb 2018:But the humorous look of children is perhaps the most endearing of all the bonds that hold the Cosmos together.
1907, G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton, “A Defence of Baby-worship”, in The Defendant (The Wayfarer’s Library), 3rd edition, London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent & Co. […], →OCLC, page 116:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most endearing | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more endearing | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
unendearing · endearingly · endearingness · unendearingly
Relateds
endearment · endear · endearer
Synonyms
Translations (48)
nl vertederend (inspiring affection or love) · hu megnyerő (inspiring affection or love) · gl curro (inspiring affection or love) · hu bájos (inspiring affection or love) · it tenero (inspiring affection or love) · ro înduioșător (inspiring affection or love) · de niedlich (inspiring affection or love) · gl tenro (inspiring affection or love) · hu csinos (inspiring affection or love) · hu helyes (inspiring affection or love) · hu kedves (inspiring affection or love) · sv älskvärd (inspiring affection or love) · gl curriño (inspiring affection or love) · fi hellyttävä (inspiring affection or love) · cs roztomilý (inspiring affection or love) · gl riquiño (inspiring affection or love) · cs milý (inspiring affection or love) · ga muirneach (inspiring affection or love) · hu nyájas (inspiring affection or love) · hu drága (inspiring affection or love) · mi mateoha (inspiring affection or love) · hu kedveskedő (inspiring affection or love) · ca agradable (inspiring affection or love) · es simpaticón (inspiring affection or love) · es entrañal (disused) (inspiring affection or love) · uk пестли́вий (inspiring affection or love) · hu aranyos (inspiring affection or love) · hu becéző (inspiring affection or love) · it gentile (inspiring affection or love) · es atrayente (inspiring affection or love) · cs rozkošný (inspiring affection or love) · es entrañable (inspiring affection or love) · es simpático (inspiring affection or love) · fr attendrissant (inspiring affection or love) · it caro (inspiring affection or love) · es enternecedor (inspiring affection or love) · es encantador (inspiring affection or love) · es hipocorístico (inspiring affection or love) · it carino (inspiring affection or love) · ro înduioșătoare (inspiring affection or love) · hu gyengéd (inspiring affection or love) · ro duioasă (inspiring affection or love) · ca simpàtic (inspiring affection or love) · es atractivo (inspiring affection or love) · ro duios (inspiring affection or love) · fi rakastettava (inspiring affection or love) · es tierno (inspiring affection or love) · ga taitneamhach (inspiring affection or love)