Showing results for "becoming"

• present participle of become.

becoming

American  

[bih-kuhm-ing] / bɪˈkʌm ɪŋ /

adjective

1. that suits or gives a pleasing effect or attractive appearance, as to a person or thing.

   a becoming dress; a becoming hairdo.

   Synonyms:

   comely

2. suitable; appropriate; proper.

   a becoming sentiment.

   Synonyms:

   fitting, seemly, congruous, decorous, right, apt, fit, meet

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noun

1. any process of change.

2. Aristotelianism. any change involving realization of potentialities, as a movement from the lower level of potentiality to the higher level of actuality.

becoming British  

/ bɪˈkʌmɪŋ /

adjective

1. suitable; appropriate

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noun

1. any process of change

2. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) any change from the lower level of potentiality to the higher level of actuality

Other Word Forms

• becomingness
  noun
• well-becoming
  adjective
• becomingly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of becoming

First recorded in 1555–65; become + -ing ¹, -ing ²

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Explanation

Something that's becoming is charming, or looks good. It's a compliment — or a sales tactic — if a salesperson gushes, "That dress is so becoming on you!" Clothing that's becoming is well-suited to the person wearing it, flattering him and making him look great. You can also use the adjective to mean "appropriate," as when a stern kindergarten teacher scolds, "That behavior is not becoming, boys." In the 13th century, something becoming was "fitting," and by the 1560s it also meant "looking good." The opposite of becoming is unbecoming.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

becoming

Cartoons have been a fixture of Indian journalism since independence, with RK Laxman's Common Man becoming one of its most recognisable characters.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

With gas at $4 a gallon, customers are becoming scarcer at the gas station attached to his store, as are sales of snacks and drinks, forcing him to reduce his staff.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

The company’s proposed solution to the difficulties of outsourcing grocery shopping seemed to involve becoming an increasingly attentive manager of one’s outsourced grocery shopping.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

He was hired as a production assistant on “All Things Considered” in 1975 before becoming a weekend co-host for the show in 1978.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

He let himself slip down underwater to better watch them, becoming a tiny blot among these magnificent monsters of the ocean.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

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