- present participle of invite.
inviting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inviting
Explanation
Inviting things are very appealing. Your host's inviting smile makes you truly feel welcomed and even a little bit charmed. On a hot summer day, nothing looks quite as inviting as a cool, sparkling swimming pool, and when you come inside after walking home in the snow, a cozy fire in the wood stove is also quite inviting. Something inviting promises comfort or pleasure. The word comes from invitation, from the Latin invitare, "invite, treat, or entertain," which originally meant "be pleasant toward."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The former presenter said producers had been inviting him to audition for America's Got Talent since 2020, but he always felt it sounded like "a massive risk" and his "gut instinct was always no".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich called for unity as demonstrations carried on outdoors, inviting participants in the ceremony to read out together the names and occupations of Jews murdered in Jedwabne.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
It’s an image full of movement, reflecting a character in transition with inviting pastels and bold dashes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
RPCS3, a well-known PlayStation simulator, is already inviting fans to help input their personal game archives and metadata into the virtual database.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
She warned members of the commission that if they approved the variance to allow construction of the Bacon Street project, they were inviting trouble.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
