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.
There are many places in this city that real estate developers have found more appetizing.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
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
He thinks first and foremost of the markets; when one kind of goods begins to go off slackly, he is ready with something new and appetizing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
The city’s appetizing stores, which first appeared in the late 19th century, are a type of delicatessen that only sells products such as smoked and cured fish, dairy and nuts due to kosher law.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Fly larvae may not seem appetizing to you and me, but that protein-rich diet makes the chickens’ eggs unusually rich and tasty.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
