wooing

4 5.5

To try to make someone love you, often to marry them

noun
/ˈwuːɪŋ/

: cortejo

He put a lot of effort into his wooing of her, often bringing her flowers and planning romantic dinners.

Examples

He seems to be wooing not his future wife but her dad.
It was typical of him that in wooing Her Majesty, famously not short of a jewel or two, he offered jewelry of his own design.
And there's this interesting scene where he tries to cast a spell on her quite early on, impatient with wooing her massive physical indifference.
YOU'VE ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT IT WAS MORE OF A WOOING.

Closing Escrow (2007)
Traditional wooing often involves gestures like writing love letters or going on special dates.
In their culture, wooing can last for months, as couples get to know each other before engagement.

Synonyms

seduction

vswooing

NSFW

42 5.8

An action that attracts someone for romantic or sexual reasons

focuses on long-term affection and marriage rather than sexual enticement

courtship

vswooing

38 3.6

Trying to get someone's romantic attention, often before marriage

is the same but often refers to the whole long-term process

flirting

vswooing

37 3.5

Playful or romantic behavior that shows interest in someone

is more serious and seeks lasting affection or marriage rather than playful signals

flirtation

vswooing

26 3.5

Playful behaviour to show romantic or sexual interest

aims at genuine romantic pursuit and often has marriage intent not just play

courting

vswooing

14 4.6

Trying to get someone's love, often with marriage in mind

is the same action but used more broadly or less formally

suit

vswooing

Archaic

4 6.4

Trying to win someone's love, often to marry them

is the general act of seeking affection without formal petition sense

Antonyms

to ignore

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

neglect

94 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

How Serious

proposal

97 2.9

wooing

4 5.5

dating

318 1.6

flirting

37 3.5

Surface Forms

wooing singular

wooings plural

Morphology

wooing = woo (transparent) = woo + ing

The noun is formed from the verb 'woo' by the gerund/nominal '-ing', meaning 'the act of wooing', which is directly predictable from the base verb.

Etymology

Wooing comes from the old English word woo, which meant 'to seek someone's love' or 'ask for marriage'. So wooing today still means trying to win someone's love or to court them.