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charming

[ chahr-ming ]

/ ˈtʃɑr mɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR charming ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: When To Use "Charismatic" Vs. "Charming"

WATCH NOW: When To Use "Charismatic" Vs. "Charming"

We often describe a charismatic person as "charming." But, we would never describe a charming house, outfit, or book, no matter how attractive they are, as "charismatic." Let’s break the spell of these two similarly compelling words.

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adjective

pleasing; delightful: a charming child.

using charm; exercising magic power.

Words nearby charming

charmed quark, charmer, charmeuse, charmian, charminar, charming, charmonium, charnel, charnel house, charnley, charolais

Origin of charming

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at charm¹, -ing²

SYNONYMS FOR charming

1 lovely, winning, winsome, engaging.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR charming ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM charming

charm·ing·ly, adverbcharm·ing·ness, nounun·charm·ing, adjective

Definition for charming (2 of 2)

charm¹

[ chahrm ]

/ tʃɑrm /

noun

a power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty: charm of manner; the charm of a mountain lake.

a trait or feature imparting this power.

charms, attractiveness.

a trinket to be worn on a bracelet, necklace, etc.

something worn or carried on one's person for its supposed magical effect; amulet.

any action supposed to have magical power.

the chanting or recitation of a magic verse or formula.

a verse or formula credited with magical power.

Physics. a quantum number assigned the value +1 for one kind of quark, −1 for its antiquark, and 0 for all other quarks. Symbol: CCompare charmed quark.

verb (used with object)

to delight or please greatly by beauty, attractiveness, etc.; enchant: She charmed us with her grace.

to act upon (someone or something) with or as with a compelling or magical force: to charm a bird from a tree.

to endow with or protect by supernatural powers.

to gain or influence through personal charm: He charmed a raise out of his boss.

verb (used without object)

to be fascinating or pleasing.

to use charms.

to act as a charm.

Origin of charm

¹

1250–1300; Middle English charme, from Old French, from Latin carminem, accusative of carmen “song, magical formula,” from unattested canmen (by dissimilation), equivalent to can(ere) “to sing” + -men noun suffix

SYNONYMS FOR charm

1 attractiveness, allurement.

6 enchantment, spell.

10 fascinate, captivate, entrance, enrapture, ravish; allure, bewitch.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR charm ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM charm

charm·ed·ly

[chahr-mid-lee] /ˈtʃɑr mɪd li/, adverbcharm·er, nouncharm·less, adjectivecharm·less·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for charming

Legs McNeil, of Punk magazine fame, once called him “cute” and “charming.”
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings|Melissa Leon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alexander is everything Turing is not—gregarious, flirty, and, you guessed it, charming.
From ‘The Good Wife’ to ‘The Imitation Game’: Matthew Goode Wages His Charm Offensive|Kevin Fallon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For those who have a problem with that, she offered a charming, subtle middle finger.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush|Sujay Kumar|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let me be clear, as the president would say: Obama is telegenic and charming.
From POTUS to SCOTUS: Obama’s Big Move?|Keli Goff|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Somebody said to me after the premiere, ‘You guys have the most charming Republicans going,’” Molloy remembers.
Inside the Political Fun House: How ‘Alpha House’ Became Amazon’s First Big Hit|Kevin Fallon|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This charming little riddle is always a great favorite with children.
Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
Well, I must be running along and it's good to see your charming family.
The Lost Wagon|James Arthur Kjelgaard
The Princess was a young and charming lady, very handsome, but in a state of constant depression.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist|Robert Barr
A week passed away during the visit of the charming stranger, and Hetty had never once seen Miss Gaythorne.
Hetty Gray|Rosa Mulholland
This is what that charming Saint Francois de Sales calls somewhere "les pretres blancs-becs," callow priests.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for charming (1 of 3)

charming

/ (ˈtʃɑːmɪŋ) /

adjective

delightful; pleasant; attractive

Derived forms of charming

charmingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for charming (2 of 3)

charm¹

/ (tʃɑːm) /

noun

the quality of pleasing, fascinating, or attracting people

a pleasing or attractive feature

a small object worn or kept for supposed magical powers of protection; amulet; talisman

a trinket worn on a bracelet

a magic spell; enchantment

a formula or action used in casting such a spell

physics an internal quantum number of certain elementary particles, used to explain some scattering experiments

like a charm perfectly; successfully

verb

to attract or fascinate; delight greatly

to cast a magic spell on

to protect, influence, or heal, supposedly by magic

(tr) to influence or obtain by personal charmhe charmed them into believing him

Word Origin for charm

C13: from Old French charme, from Latin carmen song, incantation, from canere to sing

British Dictionary definitions for charming (3 of 3)

charm²

/ (tʃɑːm) /

noun

Southwest English dialect a loud noise, as of a number of people chattering or of birds singing

Word Origin for charm

C16: variant of chirm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for charming

charm

[ chärm ]

One of the flavors of quarks, contributing to the charm number-a quantum number-for hadrons.

A charmed particle is a particle that contains at least one charmed quark or charmed antiquark. The charmed quark was hypothesized to account for the longevity of the J/psi particle and to explain differences in the behavior of leptons and hadrons. See more at flavor.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with charming

charm

In addition to the idioms beginning with charm

charmed life
charm the pants off

also see:

(charm the) pants off
work like a charm

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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