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.
So when the global cost of gas shoots up, switching back to the much cheaper lignite is financially very appealing.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026
You have a talent for playing complicated characters who at first might not seem likable and making them human and appealing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
Police are appealing to those in the area at the time to come forward with any relevant information or video footage.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026
Lower oil prices, down 5% to $83 per barrel, make electric vehicles less appealing.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Not that I ever believed that the whole production of World War II was a trick of the eye manip- ulated by a bunch of calculating fat old men, appealing though this idea was.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
