accommodating
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does accommodating mean? The adjective accommodating means eager or willing to help or please. It comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb accommodate, which means to do someone a favor or meet their needs or wants in some way, as in You don’t have to accommodate everyone all the time—sometimes the answer should be no. To accommodate a request is to honor it—to do what has been asked, as in They were kind enough to accommodate my special requests. Example: We can’t thank you enough—you’ve been so accommodating and have made us feel so welcome.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accommodating
First recorded in 1610–20; accommodat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
If you are part of a group that has accommodating members, you’re very fortunate. Accommodating describes those who are easy to get along with and willing to help you. Accommodating is the adjective form of the verb accommodate, and it’s used to describe those who are cheerfully willing to make small adjustments to help you out. The waiter who is happy to serve the dressing on the side, give you extra cheese on the burger, and swap French fries for mashed potatoes, all because that's how you want it? Definitely accommodating.
Vocabulary lists containing accommodating
Stamped
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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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.
Accommodating Groff every Sunday, the trial judge said, would have imposed an undue hardship on the Postal Service and violated the terms of the labor union agreement laying out the process for filling those shifts.
From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2023
Accommodating 131 passengers, these midsize planes could land on shorter runways and serve smaller hubs.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2021
Accommodating 25,000 delegates and tens of thousands who want to attend the COP for other reasons has been a major headache for the city.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2021
Accommodating a long-term conversion to renewable energy has required a rapid expansion of Germany’s power grid.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2018
Accommodating their innumerate help, the larger franchises now have cash registers which have pictures, on the keys, of the items ordered and automatically add on the appropriate tax.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
