desirable
Americanadjective
-
worth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine.
a desirable apartment.
-
arousing desire or longing.
a desirable man or woman.
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advisable; recommendable.
a desirable law.
noun
adjective
-
worthy of desire or recommendation
a desirable residence
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arousing desire, esp sexual desire; attractive
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of desirable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to desire + -able
Explanation
If something is desirable it is worthy, so many people might want it. If you're hoping for one of the most desirable roles in a play, you have to have an excellent audition. Popular. Attractive. In demand. Sought-after. All of these describe things that are desirable. After all, it has at its base the word desire, which describes wanting. The root of desirable is the Latin word desiderare, which means "long for, wish for, demand, or expect." It may have originated from the phrase de sidere, "from the stars."
Vocabulary lists containing desirable
List 4
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List 3
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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.
This part of the brain helps regulate reward and motivation, making it particularly relevant to how people respond to desirable foods.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
In August 2025, Lorre scooped up a lavish home in the desirable Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
"Anglesey has always been a desirable area for people to live," he said, adding he thinks the market is "not as bad as it was".
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
That Roadster—an extensively modified Lotus sports car powered by batteries—proved Tesla’s thesis that electric cars could be fun and desirable, and helped propel the company to making more mainstream vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
But to people outside Garland, money was so desirable that the bank had to hire armed guards to keep criminals from stealing it.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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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.
