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clinger

clinger

2 5.2
A person or animal that stays very close to someone and gives no space
  • noun
  • /ˈklɪŋər/
  • Informal
: pegajoso
  • Besides, she seems like a clinger.

Examples

  • During the meeting, I noticed that he is quite the clinger, always staying close to the speaker.

  • I am the clinger in the relationship, and it made my lizard active.

    Blog text (30)
  • As a toddler, I'd been one of those milkily content clingers who must be pulled away from the nipple; eighteen years later, I was still reluctant to leave my mother's side.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • She is a clinger who always seeks attention and reassurance from her friends.

  • My dog is such a clinger; he follows me everywhere I go in the house.

Synonyms

griper
vsclinger
1 7.9

A person who holds something tightly and does not let go

stays physically or emotionally very close and refuses to let go

How Attached

clinger
  • Informal
2 5.2
companion
245 1.8

Surface Forms

clinger singular
clingers plural

Morphology

clinger = cling (transparent) = cling + er

The agentive suffix '-er' attaches to the verb 'cling' to form a noun meaning 'one who clings', which is directly derivable for learners.

Etymology

Clinger comes from the verb cling, which means 'to hold on' or 'to stick close', like ivy holding to a wall. So a clinger is someone or something that stays very near and will not let go.