inviting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Inviting us to sit down with a show about mental health professionals mending their spirits is group therapy on a massive scale in a time of diagnosable disorder.
From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026
There’s no denying it: Inviting yourself into his financial life after a few short months of dating is a big step.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 1, 2025
Inviting SEC oversight will better protect investors and bolster trust in the market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Inviting music students and student audiologists to collaborate in gaining a better understanding of what it means to hear in relation to what it means to listen is also essential in my view.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025
Inviting her over as moral support was probably the best decision I’ve made in weeks.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
