inviting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- invitingly adverb
- invitingness noun
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.
Last year, Moody’s warned of the dangers of inviting retail investors into the funds: “If growth outpaces the industry’s ability to manage such complexities, such challenges could have systemic consequences.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
It means working collaboratively to encourage first swings at local simulators and entertainment venues before inviting players to traditional course play.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
That level of exposure comes at a cost; being so open means inviting opinion and criticism, and Laing knows that "you have to have thick skin if you're going to do this".
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
So when a lucrative commission comes to Y, inviting him to compose a patriotic anthem for the “victory generation,” you already know what his answer is.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Lafayette visited Hudson High, inviting student volunteers to join his cause.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
