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.
With the world feeling so uncertain, stocks that deliver solid dividends and growth without getting caught up in the market’s violent ups and downs look pretty appealing.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
It might be appealing to write off Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s efforts to be seen as the good guys as just another helping of corporate pablum.
From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026
But it is worth noting that “The Drama” burrows into the subject in a way no other film, especially one so widely appealing, has managed to.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
Kempczinski is trying to thread a narrow needle in appealing to both lower-income buyers struggling in an economy that no longer feels affordable and upper-income customers still spending and wanting elevated fare.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Dave Barry’s “Ask Mr. Language Person” satirized their typical advisory: writing tip for professionals: To make your writing more appealing to the reader, avoid “writing negatively.”
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
