fondling

fondle (ˈfɒnd^əl)

—vb
1.	(tr) to touch or stroke tenderly; caress
2.	archaic (intr) to act in a loving manner

[C17: from (obsolete) vb fond to fondle; see fond¹]

'fondler

—n

'fondlingly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

fondle

1690s, "treat with indulgence and affection," frequentative of fond "dote upon" (see fond). Sense of "caress" first recorded 1796. Related: Fondled; fondling (1670s)

Example sentences

There was an identical instruction for the other two counts of fondling.

The former champ picked up a bird and held it firmly in his fists, fondling its feathers.

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Related Words

fondle caress

caress

Matching Quote

"If psychoanalysis emerged just before World War I to deal with the repressions of Puritanism, the hedonistic age has its counterpart in sensitivity training, encounter groups, "joy therapy," and similar techniques that have two characteristics essentially derived from a hedonistic mood: they are conducted almost exclusively in groups; and they try to "unblock" the individual by physical contact, by groping, touching, fondling, manipulating. Where the earlier intention of psychoanalysis was to enable the patient to achieve self-insight and thereby redirect his life—an aim inseparable from a moral context—the newer therapies are entirely instrumental and psychologistic; their aim is to "free" the person from inhibitions and restraints so that he or she can more easily express his impulses and feelings."

-Daniel Bell