inviting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inviting
Explanation
Inviting things are very appealing. Your host's inviting smile makes you truly feel welcomed and even a little bit charmed. On a hot summer day, nothing looks quite as inviting as a cool, sparkling swimming pool, and when you come inside after walking home in the snow, a cozy fire in the wood stove is also quite inviting. Something inviting promises comfort or pleasure. The word comes from invitation, from the Latin invitare, "invite, treat, or entertain," which originally meant "be pleasant toward."
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.
“It’s beautiful and inviting, but it’s also really tough and acerbic.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
It began inviting local high-school seniors and their parents to its Camden facility for tours.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
As Capp explains, "This was a sort of populist political gesture, essentially inviting the moral support of the crowd."
From Science Daily • May 7, 2026
Then she brought out pop star Lola Young, inviting her into a confessional booth with the hope of eliciting a dark secret.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Before I left, she offered me a job, inviting me to join her staff as an assistant to Mayor Daley, beginning as soon as I was ready.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
