attraction

[uh-trak-shuhn]

noun

1. the act, power, or property of attracting.

2. attractive quality; magnetic charm; fascination; allurement; enticement.

   the subtle attraction of her strange personality.

   Synonyms: lure, appeal

3. a person or thing that draws, attracts, allures, or entices.

   The main attraction was the after-dinner speaker.

4. a characteristic or quality that provides pleasure; attractive feature.

   The chief attractions of the evening were the good drinks and witty conversation.

5. Physics.,  the electric or magnetic force that acts between oppositely charged bodies, tending to draw them together.

6. an entertainment offered to the public.

   Synonyms: spectacle, show

attraction

/ əˈtrækʃən /

noun

1. the act, power, or quality of attracting

2. a person or thing that attracts or is intended to attract

3. a force by which one object attracts another, such as the gravitational or electrostatic force

4. a change in the form of one linguistic element caused by the proximity of another element

Other Word Forms

• attractionally adverb
• reattraction noun
• superattraction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of attraction¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English attraccioun, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin attractiōn-, stem of attractiō; equivalent to attract + -ion

Example Sentences

“Making Mary Poppins” may seem a niche attraction, but there’s plenty here to interest the general reader.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Saudi Arabia has been building multiple leisure and entertainment attractions, including Qiddiya near Riyadh, billed as an "entertainment city" of theme parks and a motorsports racetrack.

Read more on Barron's

The director said he and Holloway have a shared attraction to tension that builds slowly and methodically, like in a turn-of-the-century Gothic horror novella — such as Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There’s attraction on both levels then, which sparks enormous intrigue.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But the latter have the added attraction of sporting cheaper valuations overall.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• allure 
• appeal 
• attractiveness 
• interest