desirable
Americanadjective
-
worth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine.
a desirable apartment.
-
arousing desire or longing.
a desirable man or woman.
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advisable; recommendable.
a desirable law.
noun
adjective
-
worthy of desire or recommendation
a desirable residence
-
arousing desire, esp sexual desire; attractive
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The county is gradually moving workers into the 55-story skyscraper at the base of Bunker Hill that was widely considered one of the city’s most desirable office buildings when it was completed in 1991.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
In addition to making work more desirable, Mr. Klingbeil wants to make it easier for companies to hire.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
“Privately set behind gates on one of Longridge Estates’ most desirable streets, this corner-lot residence offers both scale and warmth,” the listing read.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
Asked in 2024 about the saga, ECB chief Christine Lagarde said that cross-border banking mergers were "desirable" to allow Europe's lenders to compete with their bigger rivals, particularly in the United States.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
One must learn to manage one’s emotional state in order to consistently operate from a place of resourcefulness, thus producing desirable outcomes.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
