1
: a dearly loved person
2
: favorite
a director who is the darling of the critics
darlingness
noun
Examples of darling in a Sentence
Noun
She was mother's little darling.
for a while that candidate was the darling of the news media and could do no wrong
Adjective
This is my darling daughter, Sara.
That dress is just darling.
Recent Examples on the Web
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
The Bulls were the early-season darlings of the Group of Five, thanks to back-to-back upsets over Boise State and Florida.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
The Osbournes are truly animal lovers, and perhaps the most darling part of the series was how nearly every scene had at least one of the family’s many dogs or cats sniffing around.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for darling
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Noun
But the previous Emmy darling, which won 11 awards at the 2024 Primetime Emmys, didn't win any prizes during this year's show.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
The Bulls were the early-season darlings of the Group of Five, thanks to back-to-back upsets over Boise State and Florida.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Vibrant, golden turmeric, the darling Indian spice packed with curcumin, an anti-inflammatory powerhouse, has also been shown to prevent memory loss.
—Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
The Osbournes are truly animal lovers, and perhaps the most darling part of the series was how nearly every scene had at least one of the family’s many dogs or cats sniffing around.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for darling
Cite this Entry
“Darling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
darling
1 of 2 noun
dar·ling
ˈdär-liŋ 
1
: a dearly loved person
Geographical Definition
Darling
geographical name
Dar·ling
ˈdär-liŋ
river 1702 miles (2738 kilometers) long in southeastern Australia in Queensland and New South Wales flowing southwest into the Murray River
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