attractive

American  

[uh-trak-tiv] / əˈtræk tɪv /

adjective

1. providing pleasure or delight, especially in appearance or manner; pleasing; charming; alluring.

   an attractive personality.

2. arousing interest or engaging one's thought, consideration, etc.: an attractive price.

   an attractive idea;

   an attractive price.

3. having the quality of attracting.

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attractive British  

/ əˈtræktɪv /

adjective

1. appealing to the senses or mind through beauty, form, character, etc

2. arousing interest

   an attractive opportunity

3. possessing the ability to draw or pull

   an attractive force

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Other Word Forms

• attractively adverb
• attractiveness noun
• superattractive adjective
• unattractive adjective
• unattractively adverb
• unattractiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of attractive

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English attractif, attractive, (from Middle French at(t)ractif ), from Late Latin attractīvus “(of a medicine) having drawing power, absorptive,” derivative of attractus , “drawn, contracted,” attract, -ive

Explanation

Anybody or anything that's attractive is visually pleasing or draws you in. Being attractive has to do with attracting others, one way or another. If you're talking about a magnet, that's a literal, physical kind of attraction. For people, being attractive usually means you're beautiful or handsome enough to pull in the attention of others. But having a great personality or a good job are attractive traits, too. If someone offered to give you something valuable for a good price, you could also say, "That's an attractive offer" — meaning it's tempting.

Example Sentences

IBM’s capital intensity is also notably lower than that of hyperscalers and cloud infrastructure providers, which merits a more attractive forward free cash flow multiple, Boolani wrote.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Citi reiterates its buy rating on the stock with a target price of $7.20 and views the current valuation as attractive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

The series is both watchable and trying, given its many tonal shifts and an able, attractive cast, some of whom are assigned to play quite annoying people.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Still, investors have responded by moving back into bonds — fixed income assets that become less attractive as inflation accelerates — forcing Treasury yields sharply lower.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Our tests were administered by an attractive French psychologist named Madame Haberman, who was herself a Mensa member.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• alluring
• beautiful
• charming
• engaging
• enticing
• fair
• glamorous
• good-looking
• gorgeous
• handsome
• interesting
• inviting
• lovely
• pleasant
• pleasing
• tempting