- present participle of appeal.
appealing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of appealing
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; appeal + -ing 2
Explanation
The adjective appealing describes someone who is able to attract interest or is easy to like. For example, your easy sense of humor and way of making people feel comfortable make you appealing to friends old and new. If you are appealing, people want to be around you. It might be that you are really nice, or a good listener, not to mention have good looks. Actors who are appealing tend to get a lot of parts because filmmakers know audiences will flock to see them, just as an appealing description of a dish on a menu will lead more people to order it. This something is appealing, it is — or will be — popular.
Vocabulary lists containing appealing
Call of Beauty: Synonyms for "Beautiful"
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Workshop 1, Part 2
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Freakonomics
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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.
Alexis Yim, a marketing professor at Radford University who co-authored a study on how cuteness impacts relationships with AI agents, said that “cute, appealing appearances” can activate the reward-related areas of the brain.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
Communications director Jessica Siles, 26, said she has seen state parties in particular having more success appealing to young voters.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Ms. White directed the Tony winner “Liberation” as well as Ms. Bioh’s appealing “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” also produced on Broadway by Manhattan Theatre Club.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
And do they have the capacity to convince you, the voter, they have a vision you regard as coherent, appealing and affordable?
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
He imagined marching forth right now, right here, in front of everyone, and appealing directly to Eril-Fane.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
