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.
The simplicity of Coast FI makes it both appealing and difficult to rely on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
“You’re adding to that element of scarcity that makes blind boxes so appealing in the first place,” Karmarkar said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
She has told us that she’ll be there to help us as we get older, which makes being nearby particularly appealing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Foreign ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri, appealing for international support, including specialist teams and kit to "locate people who may be buried under debris", said the mountain geography was adding to the challenge.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
I liked that Margot had decided, reflecting on the small collection of times she had “known” me, that I would have been appealing to my grandfather.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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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.