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definitions

charming

[chahr-ming]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR charming ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pleasing; delightful: a charming child.
using charm; exercising magic power.

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RELATED WORDS

alluring, pleasant, glamorous, likable, amiable, provocative, fascinating, cute, absorbing, sweet, appealing, engaging, elegant, delightful, engrossing, inviting, graceful, lovely, charismatic, lovable

Nearby words

  1. charmedly,
  2. charmer,
  3. charmeuse,
  4. charmian,
  5. charminar,
  6. charmingly,
  7. charmless,
  8. charmonium,
  9. charnel,
  10. charnel house

Origin of charming

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at charm1, -ing2
Related formscharm·ing·ly, adverbcharm·ing·ness, nounun·charm·ing, adjective

charm

1
[chahrm]

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
Related formscharm·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for charming

British Dictionary definitions for charming

charming

adjective

delightful; pleasant; attractive
Derived Formscharmingly, adverb

charm

1

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

charm

2

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
Word Origin and History for charming
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science 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.