Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having the power to attract.
- adj. Pleasing to the eye or mind; charming.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Having the power or faculty of drawing in, to, or toward by mechanical agency or action.
- Having the quality of attracting by inherent force; causing to gravitate to or toward: as, the attractive force of bodies.
- Having the power of charming or alluring by agreeable qualities; inviting; engaging; enticing.
- n. That which draws or incites; allurement; charm.
Wiktionary
- adj. Causing attraction; having the quality of attracting by inherent force.
- adj. Having the power of charming or alluring by agreeable qualities; enticing.
- adj. Pleasing or appealing to the senses.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having the power or quality of attracting or drawing.
- adj. Attracting or drawing by moral influence or pleasurable emotion; alluring; inviting; pleasing.
- n. That which attracts or draws; an attraction; an allurement.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. having the properties of a magnet; the ability to draw or pull
- adj. having power to arouse interest
- adj. pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
Etymologies
- From Middle French attractif, from Late Latin attractivus. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“So, they were asked to evaluate the candidates based on nothing else except their appearance, and the more attractive candidates were deemed... wait for it.... *more attractive*!”
“We'll miss both hopeful rallies and despairing selloffs," said Mr. Arbess, who said he has assumed a "neutral" position, despite what he calls "attractive" stock and bond opportunities.”
“The advertising community found this term attractive for two reasons, one explicit and one subconscious.”
Eleven Things To Think About When Thinking About The Aqua Teen Hunger Force Bomb Scare
“Google earns what it describes as attractive returns on its investments by capturing local and federal renewable energy tax credits and charging interest on the money it supplies for the projects.”
“The Navy said the low take up had nothing to do with the packages on offer which it described as 'attractive'.”
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
“I mean, biologically it would seem, we are wired to be drawn to what we call attractive women.”
“If being more conventionally attractive is a motivating factor, that's fine.”
Ask Professor Foxy: Does My Size and Not Flirting Keep Me Alone? - Feministing
“Geez, thinking that women who are not porcelain white can be attractive is so PC, geez.”
intertribal: hope I don't break my arm falling out of the treehouse
“The accusation that the beauty of movie stars makes the anti-social acts of their characters dangerously attractive is the kind of contrived argument we get from people who are bothered by something and clutching at straws.”
The Washington Post: Arthur Penn, director of 'Bonnie and Clyde,' dies at 88
“What we see as attractive is a byproduct of not only our biological wiring, but is also influenced by socio-cultural factors," says David Sarwerof the Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania.”
What's the attraction? Look to society, biology, not 'logic'
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘attractive’.
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Linda(G4)
Accurate, address, afford, alert, analyze, ancestor, annual, apparent, arena, arrest, ascend, assist and 126 more...
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CULI - wine-tasting adjectives
In this area of expertise nouns are frequently used as adjectives (almond, bacon, cider, diesel, fennel, fresh-cut hay, wool) or new adjectives are formed (appley, berrylike, citrusy, full-bodied, ...
acetic, acidic, aged, angular, appley, astringent, attractive, austere, berrylike, big, bitter, brawny and 511 more...
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bbc uk china vocab.
conservationists, estimate, threats, infertility, eating away at, endangered, furry, panel, in trouble, gongs, triumphed, caps and 1007 more...
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Describing the Taste of Foods
yummy, zesty, piquant, pungent, sharp, spicy, poignant, delicious, ambrosial, appetizing, delectable, heavenly and 194 more...
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Beautiful and Ugly
Beautiful, attractive, well-formed
Ugly, unattractive, malformedadorable, alluring, angelic, appealing, appetizing, attractive, beaming, beauteous, beautiful, becoming, beguiling, bewitching and 180 more...
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You are so GOOD LOOKING!
Words about looking good
a dish, dishy, snazzy, styling, looker, handsome, beautiful, delicious, dessert, yummy, tantalizing, hormone hunk and 55 more...
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Nice simple words
Simple words that are nice to say or use
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Grade 4
Accurate, address, afford, alert, analyze, ancrstor, ancestor, annual, apparent, appropriate, arena, arrest and 29 more...
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Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 2369 more... -
Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
a, abandon, ability, able, abortion, about, above, abroad, absence, absolute, absolutely, absorb and 4334 more...
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feeling words
twitterpated, loquacious, ambiguous, pensive, sluggish, anxious, adventurous, curious, abandoned, absent-minded, abrasive, abused and 653 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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Positive Adjectives
appealing, attractive, alluring, beautiful, benevolent, charming, classy, charismatic, creative, dreamy, desirable, authentic and 15 more...
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Mod Mou's List
My Favourite words.
poignant, sauerkraut, requiem, nostalgia, pharmaceuticals, sweet nothings, chic, mod, rip, whisper, articulate, artistic and 24 more...
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Beautiful, Pretty or Comely
Words meaning beautiful, pretty or comely.
attractive, pulchritudinous, pulchrous, pulchrious, venust, belle, gorgeous, specious, formose, formous, splendid, magnificent
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Lesson 1
abroad, abrupt, acceptable, acclaim, actually, apparently, primitive, metabolism, insulate, assemble, adverse, advice and 8 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for attractive.
frangarnes Atractivo, guapo // Similar meaning: appealing // WordReference Oct 19, 2007
jeen0809 Johnny Depp is not attractive in the movie "Pirates of the Caribean" Mar 22, 2007