n. 1. The state of being pleasing; a suiting. See On liking, below. [ Obs. or Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ] 2. The state of being pleased with, or attracted toward, some thing or person; hence, inclination; desire; pleasure; preference; -- often with for, formerly with to; as, it is an amusement I have no liking for. [ 1913 Webster ] If the human intellect hath once taken a liking to any doctrine, . . . it draws everything else into harmony with that doctrine, and to its support. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. Appearance; look; figure; state of body as to health or condition. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ] I shall think the worse of fat men, as long as I have an eye to make difference of men's liking. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] Their young ones are in good liking. Job. xxxix. 4. [ 1913 Webster ] On liking, on condition of being pleasing to or suiting; also, on condition of being pleased with; as, to hold a place of service on liking; to engage a servant on liking. [ Obs. or Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ] Would he be the degenerate scion of that royal line . . . to be a king on liking and on sufferance? Hazlitt. [ 1913 Webster ] |