Meaning & use
doting
Last updated
UK/ˈdəʊtɪŋ/
US/ˈdoʊtɪŋ/
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Full of great affection for someone, in a way that often gives them too much attention or leniency.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a doting mother, not a mother who is doting.
Patterns
- a doting parent
- doting on someone
The doting grandfather bought her a pony.
She is a doting mother who never misses a recital.
His doting aunts spoiled him with sweets.
Common combinations
- doting parents
- Doting parents filled the room with toys.
- doting grandmother
- Her doting grandmother knitted a sweater every year.
- doting husband
- The doting husband carried her bags.
- doting father
- As a doting father, he drove her to every game.
- doting pet owner
- The doting pet owner bought a tiny sweater for the dog.
Synonyms and how they differ
- devoted
- Devoted stresses loyalty and commitment and is nearly always positive, while doting can suggest too much indulgence.
- fond
- Fond is milder and shows liking, whereas doting shows very strong affection.
- indulgent
- Indulgent focuses on being too lenient, but a doting person is mainly very affectionate.
- adoring
- Adoring often describes looks and admiration, while doting usually describes how someone treats a loved one.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: doting or dotty?
doting vs dotty
Dotty is a British informal word meaning slightly crazy, so it is a different word from doting.
Practice
Which phrase best describes a doting grandmother?
Choose one answer.
Doting means showing great, often excessive, affection. The other choices describe distance, strictness or jealousy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “doting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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