appealing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- appealingly adverb
- appealingness noun
- nonappealing adjective
- nonappealingly adverb
- nonappealingness noun
- quasi-appealing adjective
- quasi-appealingly adverb
- unappealing adjective
- unappealingly adverb
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.
"You can gain strength without feeling as exhausted. So, you get more benefit for less effort. That makes eccentric exercise appealing for a wide range of people," Professor Nosaka said.
From Science Daily • May 1, 2026
She says there is "nothing appealing about Peterborough at all at the minute" and feels the state of the city is deterring visitors.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
If this is appealing, investors could buy the January $90 call, which cost about $17.60 when the stock was at $84.52.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
Emma Grede noted in her AD interview that the smaller size of the Malibu home was appealing because it allowed the family to feel more together.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 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.
