prepossessing

American  

[pree-puh-zes-ing] / ˌpri pəˈzɛs ɪŋ /

adjective

1. that impresses favorably; engaging or attractive.

   a confident and prepossessing young man.

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prepossessing British  

/ ˌpriːpəˈzɛsɪŋ /

adjective

1. creating a favourable impression; attractive

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Other Word Forms

• prepossessingly adverb
• prepossessingness noun
• unprepossessing adjective
• unprepossessingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of prepossessing

First recorded in 1635–45; prepossess + -ing ²

Explanation

If someone's prepossessing, they make a great first impression. You may be dreading the first day of school, until you meet your prepossessing new teacher. People and things can be prepossessing because they're so attractive, charismatic, or otherwise immediately appealing. Your friend's huge, fancy new house may seem quite prepossessing, for example, while your dog is anything but prepossessing after rolling in the mud. In fact, you might call him unprepossessing, which is much more commonly used than its antonym. Prepossessing is from the verb prepossess, "to possess a person beforehand with a feeling or idea."

Example Sentences

Paper Moon Real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal play a couple of prepossessing grifters making their way through Depression-era Kansas and Missouri in Peter Bogdanovich’s 1973 beautiful black-and-white comedy-drama.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2018

In a film of more prepossessing style, the glaring leaps of logic might be easier to overlook, or at least there’d be more incentive to do so, but the cellphone is Soderbergh’s enemy as well.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2018

Driffield Castle is perhaps even less prepossessing than Wigmore Castle, being a grassy mound.

From BBC • May 13, 2016

Now Serena is on a quest to complete a calendar Grand Slam of the four major championships and is physically the far more prepossessing player.

From Washington Post • Jul. 6, 2015

It was the first time in his life he had been summoned to a principal’s office for disciplinary reasons and he did not find the circumstances prepossessing in any way.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy