appetizing
Americanadjective
-
appealing to or stimulating the appetite; savory.
-
appealing; tempting.
adjective
Related Words
See palatable.
Other Word Forms
- appetizingly adverb
- unappetizing adjective
- unappetizingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of appetizing
First recorded in 1645–55; appet(ite) + -ize + -ing 2, as translation of French appétissant
Explanation
Something that's appetizing looks or smells like it would taste delicious. An appetizing plate of cheesy nachos might make your mouth water. Use the adjective appetizing when you talk about food that's tempting or makes you hungry. The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is appetizing, and so is the summertime aroma of your neighbor's grill. Appetizing comes from the noun appetite, or "craving for food," from the Old French apetit, "appetite or desire." The Latin root is appetere, "long for, strive for, or grasp at."
Vocabulary lists containing appetizing
Simply Scrumptious! Synonyms for "Delicious"
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Words to Describe Food
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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.
But investors looking for appetizing bargains in overseas markets should consider whether there are stocks at a discount in the U.S. as well.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
I love spending time on the couch and eating a meal and watching something that’s appetizing with my favorite person in the world.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025
Founded in 1914 and still family-run, Russ & Daughters is one of New York’s oldest and most famous appetizing stores.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
One of this nation’s enduring microregional cuisines is New York appetizing, a subset of American-Jewish cookery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
He has opted for the taco boat, piled so high the cheese is tumbling into his applesauce, which, I have to say, looks a lot more appetizing than my meal.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
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.
