adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of charming
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; charm 1 + -ing 2
Explanation
Something charming is usually pleasing or delightful. More rarely, it can be something supernatural. Charms are magical objects and something charming puts you under its spell. In most cases, we mean that only figuratively — if you spent a charming evening with friends, it means their company was so wonderful it was almost enchanting. Charming people have a special, almost magical way of making others like them. But if you're talking about a charming witch, you better watch out for her sorcery and magic tricks.
Vocabulary lists containing charming
Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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Real Nice!
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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.
The menus would be illustrated by hand, which sounds charming until you’ve spent an entire afternoon trying to get the shading right on a watercolor artichoke.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
He has been described as "a lad with a heart of gold, kind and charming, who actually loves being here".
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
But there’s nothing charming about composite decking, which is what I found myself researching when our wood started rotting under the weight of New England winter.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Several years ago, while dropping her son off at a friend’s house in Studio City, Sam Donnelly fell in love with the charming neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Charles imagined that he was charming and handsome.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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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.
