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Glite Dictionary
fondling

fondling

4 9.2
To touch someone gently in a loving way, often before sex
  • noun
  • /ˈfɒndlɪŋ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : acariciar
  • He learned that fondling could express love and affection without the need for further intimacy.
  • genital fondling

Examples

  • Fondling was the most common behavior.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The couple enjoyed tender moments of fondling on the couch, feeling close and affectionate.

  • Yeah, that's why I like a good fondling, you know?

    Whip It (2009)

  • And Steve was fondling each one, talking about the chamfers, which is the way piece curves, and talking about how it would feel in your hand, how it would delight people.

  • Verbal intrusions were higher in larger schools compared to smaller schools, and responses were essentially equal for intrusive physical contacts and fondling.

    Academic text (1990)

  • We considered contact sexual encounters (e.g., fondling or intercourse) and non-contact sexual encounters (e.g., exposure to pornography or exhibitionism).

    Academic text (2004)

  • The most frequently reported initiated sexual activity (coded in terms of the highest level of intimacy) was sexual intercourse, which was initiated during this period on 43% of the sexual occasions, followed by kissing (28%), genital fondling (17%), and oral sex (9%).

    Academic text (1998)

  • During their romantic evening, they shared a private moment of fondling that brought them even closer together.

Synonyms

petting
vsfondling
  • NSFW
34 7.1

Touching someone in a loving or sexual way, often on the body

is a general term for intimate touching without direct genital contact
stimulation
vsfondling
  • Offensive
9 7.0

Touching that makes a person feel sexually excited before sex

is focused on intimate touching but not always aimed solely at arousal
caressing
vsfondling
1 3.9

A gentle, affectionate touch or stroke showing love

is similar but specifically applies in sexual foreplay without genital contact

How Intimate

fondling
  • NSFW
4 9.2
petting
  • NSFW
34 7.1
to caress
55 3.4
stroke
12 2.5
to touch
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

fondling singular
fondlings plural

Morphology

fondling = fondle (transparent) = fondle + ing

The noun is a standard gerund/nominalization of the verb 'fondle' indicating the action or process.

Etymology

Fondling comes from the familiar word fond ('showing affection' or 'liking') plus the ending -ing that turns it into an action. So fondling literally means 'touching gently or affectionately', which explains its modern sense of intimate or sexual caressing.