Fondling

//ˈfɒndlɪŋ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A foolish person. obsolete

    "Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned, / To some hid end to make more easie way, / Or to allure such fondlings whom she trayned / Into her trap […]."

  2. 2
    The act of caressing; manifestation of tenderness.

    "amorous fondling"

  3. 3
    affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs) wordnet
  4. 4
    A pet or person who is fondled; someone who is much loved.
Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of fondle form-of, gerund, participle, present

Synonyms

All synonyms
caressingamorous dalliancebilling and cooingbundlingcaresscaressing

Example

More examples

"She, fixing on the boy / her eyes, her soul, impatient to admire, / now, fondling, folds him to her lap with joy; / weetless, alas! what god is plotting to destroy."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From fond + -ling.

Etymology 2

From fondle + -ing.

More for "fondling"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.