desired
Americanadjective
-
yearned or wished for; coveted.
-
deemed correct or proper; selected; required.
The chef added stock until the sauce reached the desired consistency.
Other Word Forms
- undesired adjective
- well-desired adjective
Etymology
Origin of desired
A Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; desire, -ed 2
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.
However, microwave frying alone does not produce the desired texture.
From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026
The 46-year-old said the introduction of specific benchmarks relating to fitness have had the desired impact.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
As she worked on Go Gentle, her heroine turned into a sage who desired only what she had and cheerily accepted whatever fate threw at her.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
This requires understanding context, the desired intent and having the ability to act in that moment.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
Turner wished with a desire greater than anything he had ever desired that he might understand what it was in the eye of the whale that shivered his soul.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
