desirable

American  

[dih-zahyuhr-uh-buhl] / dɪˈzaɪər ə bəl /

adjective

1. worth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine.

   a desirable apartment.

2. arousing desire or longing.

   a desirable man or woman.

3. advisable; recommendable.

   a desirable law.

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noun

1. a person or thing that is desirable.

desirable British  

/ dɪˈzaɪərəbəl /

adjective

1. worthy of desire or recommendation

   a desirable residence

2. arousing desire, esp sexual desire; attractive

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noun

1. a person or thing that is the object of desire

Other Word Forms

• desirability noun
• desirableness noun
• desirably adverb

Etymology

Origin of desirable

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to desire + -able

Example Sentences

The precious metals have also enjoyed strong buying, with gold and silver both hitting record highs on expectations for more rate cuts, which makes them more desirable to investors.

From Barron's

Meanwhile, another board member said that it is desirable to make decisions as appropriate at each policy meeting without having a specific pace in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There was also more entertainment at home thanks to TV. Thus the idea of escaping family for a few hours was less desirable and football attendances in general were falling during the 1950s."

From BBC

But there is a longtime tendency, not just in L.A., to apply a whole series of admittedly desirable public policy objectives onto affordable housing because the government is involved.

From Los Angeles Times

As artificial intelligence hyper-flattens mass culture, anything denoting evidence of humanity becomes exceptionally desirable.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• acceptable
• beneficial
• enviable
• expedient
• gratifying
• helpful
• preferable
• profitable
• useful
• worthwhile