inviting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- invitingly adverb
- invitingness noun
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.
Last year, Moody’s warned of the dangers of inviting retail investors into the funds: “If growth outpaces the industry’s ability to manage such complexities, such challenges could have systemic consequences.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Noguchi’s aim throughout was to liberate children’s imaginations by inviting unstructured play.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
"That resulted in us writing to the chief executive and echoing those concerns and inviting them to reflect on the club's values."
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
"Thank you First Lady Melania Trump for inviting me to the White House," said the gray-and-black robot, gesturing with its hands in its brief opening remarks.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
“The Junior Researchers have a table near the taco stand and they’re inviting the trainees to come watch them demonstrate all seven kinds of explosions. The magical ones are supposed to be really cool.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
