desirable
Americanadjective
-
worth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine.
a desirable apartment.
-
arousing desire or longing.
a desirable man or woman.
-
advisable; recommendable.
a desirable law.
noun
adjective
-
worthy of desire or recommendation
a desirable residence
-
arousing desire, esp sexual desire; attractive
noun
Other Word Forms
- desirability noun
- desirableness noun
- desirably adverb
Etymology
Origin of desirable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to desire + -able
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.
Homeownership is a lofty and desirable goal — and one that many young Americans think is out of reach.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
The county is gradually moving workers into the 55-story skyscraper at the base of Bunker Hill that was widely considered one of the city’s most desirable office buildings when it was completed in 1991.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
But desirable homes are selling quickly, and they are unwilling to buy with home prices and mortgage rates as high as they are, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Instead of being pushed to less desirable burial spots, individuals with these illnesses were often buried in the same prominent locations as everyone else.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
The more desirable prisons have seniority-based waiting lists of up to several years.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions 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.
