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
Etymology
Origin of desired
A Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at desire, -ed 2
Explanation
Anything desired is sought after. Money and love are desired by just about everyone. If your moony eyes don’t have the desired effect, then you’re still not getting seconds on dessert. If you desire something, you crave it. Something desired, then, is an object of desire. A desired job is one that many people seek. A desired cake looks delicious — you see it and you want to have it. When a type of clothing becomes popular, it’s desired by many. Some things are desired because they are rare, like a comic book with the first appearance of Batman. Anything desired is coveted.
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.
In my heart I believe she feels as much relief at Mona's exculpation as at the discovery of the desired deed.
From Mrs. Geoffrey by Duchess
Elliott's scouts, they would no doubt lie down when night came, and I might steal a march on them and amid their slumbers accomplish the desired deed.
From Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West by Drannan, William F.
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.
