appealing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
By contrast, GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are already being used by millions of Americans, making them an especially appealing area for future prevention research.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
“The debate isn’t necessarily two candidates on one stage appealing to one person, it’s for attention and information in the same sphere,” said Spencer Slovic of Mycorrhiza Digital, who ran Roy’s digital advertising.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
It’s a rise to inspire jealousy: Bloom’s up 235% this year and more than 14-fold in the past 12 months, as fuel cells proved appealing to data-center operators.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Few analysts are surprised the Justice Department is appealing the refunds that Customs & Border Protection has already started paying out.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Still, if one subtracts all the superstitious elements from the subject, there’s something appealing about the small residue that remains.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
