1
as in favorites
a person or thing that is preferred over others
for a while that candidate was the darling of the news media and could do no wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sweethearts
a person with whom one is in love
anything you say, darling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darlings
Atop the bill is powerhouse singer-songwriter/indie artist Thao, the eponymous title of Thao Nguyen, centerpiece of indie darlings Thao & the Get Down Stay Down.
—
Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
The casting of two darlings of early 2000s indie cinema — Paul Giamatti as Adams and Laura Linney as First Lady Abigail Adams — was inspired.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 2026
Names like Allan Deberton, Rafhael Barbosa, Tiago Melo and Nara Normande have launched festival darlings and have exciting new projects in the pipeline.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Arsenal enters the match as the favorite, but Sporting has been resilient in the Champions League, rebounding from a 3-0 loss to tournament darlings Bodo/Glimt with a 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon.
—Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
After delivering back-to-back Cannes darlings with the Camera d’Or winner Girl (2018) and Grand Prix-winning Close (2022), Dhont is returning to Cannes with his third feature and his first period piece.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
In between seasons, Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, and the rest of the cast have come to rule Hollywood, starring in blockbuster franchises, A24 and Neon film-festival darlings, and generating buzzy press cycles all on their own.
—The Editors, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
Among the standout pairings were country darlings Maddie & Tae, originally from Texas and Oklahoma, respectively.
—Amelia Edelman, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
Optical component makers are investors’ latest darlings.
—Ryan Vlastelica, Bloomberg, 2 Apr. 2026
Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
The casting of two darlings of early 2000s indie cinema — Paul Giamatti as Adams and Laura Linney as First Lady Abigail Adams — was inspired.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 2026
Names like Allan Deberton, Rafhael Barbosa, Tiago Melo and Nara Normande have launched festival darlings and have exciting new projects in the pipeline.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Arsenal enters the match as the favorite, but Sporting has been resilient in the Champions League, rebounding from a 3-0 loss to tournament darlings Bodo/Glimt with a 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon.
—Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
After delivering back-to-back Cannes darlings with the Camera d’Or winner Girl (2018) and Grand Prix-winning Close (2022), Dhont is returning to Cannes with his third feature and his first period piece.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
In between seasons, Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, and the rest of the cast have come to rule Hollywood, starring in blockbuster franchises, A24 and Neon film-festival darlings, and generating buzzy press cycles all on their own.
—The Editors, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
Among the standout pairings were country darlings Maddie & Tae, originally from Texas and Oklahoma, respectively.
—Amelia Edelman, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
Optical component makers are investors’ latest darlings.
—Ryan Vlastelica, Bloomberg, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darlings
Noun
-
The Pistons are very solid favorites at home in Game 7.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
2 May 2026
-
Mosquitoes really do play favorites — and the reasons reveal a fascinating tangle of genetics, body chemistry and evolutionary tracking that scientists are still untangling.—
Ryan Brennan
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The former Corona del Mar High sweethearts and longtime Palisades Tennis Club members are the hottest couple in town.—
Richard Dunn,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
-
The Mooneys were high school sweethearts and have been married for 62 years.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
May these two sweeties never travel to Russia ever again.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Nature lovers with more time to explore may want to immerse themselves in the landscape by hiking, camping, and other outdoor pursuits, but others prefer to take in the beauty and timelessness in a more relaxed way.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2026
-
Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darlings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darlings. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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