loved one
noun1
A very close friend or family member for whom a person has feelings of endearment, one of someone's close ones; sometimes: next of kin (for example on hospital admission form).
- I felt myself masculine, the protector of the weak, the fighting male. And, best of all, I felt myself the protector of my loved one. She leaned against me.1904, Jack London, chapter 30, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC:
- It's gonna be easy to get things done / I will relax along with my loved ones / Loved ones, loved ones visit the building1977, David Byrne, “Don't Worry About the Government”, in Talking Heads: 77, performed by Talking Heads:
1 more example
- “Friends called around and sat on pillars outside the building and I talked to them out the window,” said Ms. Cunningham, who added that she kept in touch with loved ones over Zoom as well.2020 June 5, Alyson Krueger, “The Agonizing Question: Is New York City Worth It Anymore?”, in New York Times:
2
Euphemistic A recently deceased close friend or family member.
- Whereas once the main option was a traditional black hearse service, these days a "green funeral" with a cardboard coffin is just one of the alternative ways to send off a loved one.2003 March 29, Jessica Watson, “Laying to rest the days of his and hearse”, in Guardian (UK), retrieved 23 Jun 2008: