attractive
Americanadjective
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providing pleasure or delight, especially in appearance or manner; pleasing; charming; alluring.
an attractive personality.
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arousing interest or engaging one's thought, consideration, etc.: an attractive price.
an attractive idea;
an attractive price.
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having the quality of attracting.
adjective
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appealing to the senses or mind through beauty, form, character, etc
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arousing interest
an attractive opportunity
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possessing the ability to draw or pull
an attractive force
Other Word Forms
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,” see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing attractive
Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Introductory
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 2
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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 debate has shifted from whether companies will spend on AI to whether those investments can generate attractive returns within a reasonable timeframe,” said UniCredit strategist Tobias Keller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Shares of the e-commerce and fintech giant have fallen, putting them at an attractive entry point, the analysts said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
A recent pullback in bond yields has delivered an added boost by making the dividends these stocks pay out more attractive in comparison.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Naomi Baker from influencer marketing agency We Are Social says older creators are attractive to brands as they often have "deeply established, highly loyal" communities with greater purchasing power, which "carries a massive premium".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
In many of the pictures she was displayed in front of some attractive destination.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
