Attractive — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ə-ˈtrak-tiv/ at·trac·tive

Meaning & Definition of Attractive

Attractive (adjective)

  1. arousing interest or pleasure, charming
  2. appealing
  3. having or relating to the power to attract

Attractive (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. very pleasing to look at

    "generally the star of a TV commercial is an attractive person"

    similar: aesthetic, beauteous, beautiful, bonny (chiefly British), comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, likely, lovely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, seemly, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored
    related: alluring, appealing, charming, cunning, delightful, engaging, fascinating, glamorous, prepossessing, elegant, exquisite, glorious, Junoesque, magnificent, resplendent, splendid, statuesque, sublime, superb, flawless, perfect, radiant, dainty, delicate, personable, pleasant, presentable, chocolate-box, prettyish, desirable, dishy, dollish, foxy, hot, luscious, nubile, pulchritudinous, seductive, sexy, toothsome, hunky, studly (slang), arresting, eye-catching, flamboyant, flashy, glossy, showstopping, showy, slick, snazzy, splashy, striking, zingy, photogenic, telegenic
    opposite: grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly
    near: abhorrent, abominable, bad, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, frightful, ghastly, horrible, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, objectionable, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shocking, sickening, terrible, vile, unappealing, unappetizing, unimposing, unpleasant, unprepossessing, frumpish, frumpy, unbecoming, unshapely

  2. having an often mysterious or magical power to attract

    "world travel has always been very attractive to me"

    similar: alluring, appealing, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fascinating, fetching, glamorous, luring, magnetic, seductive
    related: absorbing, arresting, engrossing, enthralling, galvanic, gripping, hypnotic, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, riveting, spellbinding, enticing, tantalizing, tempting, exciting, haunting, interesting, intriguing, titillating, beckoning, inviting, winning, darling, delightful, pleasant, pleasing
    opposite: repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring
    near: boring, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, offensive, shocking, sickening, drab, dreary, dull, flat, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, ponderous

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Attractive

The most common words with a similar meaning to Attractive:

Chiefly British: bonny
aesthetic, beauteous, beautiful, comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, likely, lovely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, seemly, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored, alluring, appealing, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fascinating, glamorous, luring, magnetic, seductive

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Attractive

Words with the opposite meaning of Attractive:

grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly, repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring

Related Words for Attractive

cunning, delightful, prepossessing, elegant, exquisite, glorious, Junoesque, magnificent, resplendent, splendid, statuesque, sublime, superb, flawless, perfect, radiant, dainty, delicate, personable, pleasant, presentable, chocolate-box, prettyish, desirable, dishy, dollish, foxy, hot, luscious, nubile

Near Antonyms of Attractive

abhorrent, abominable, bad, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, frightful, ghastly, horrible, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, objectionable, offensive, shocking, sickening, terrible, vile, unappealing, unappetizing, unimposing, unpleasant, unprepossessing, frumpish, frumpy, unbecoming, unshapely, boring, irksome

Word Forms of Attractive

Derived words: attractively (adverb), attractiveness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Attractive

Middle English attractif, attractive "drawing out foreign matter from the body, able to ingest nutriments," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French attractif, attratif, borrowed from Late Latin attractīvus "capable of attracting, drawing toward itself," from Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere "to draw with force, compel to come" + -īvus -ive attract

First known use: circa 1540

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Attractive

Frequently Asked Questions about Attractive

What does "Attractive" mean?

"Attractive" means arousing interest or pleasure, charming. As an adjective, it is defined as: arousing interest or pleasure, charming. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Attractive"?

Other words for "Attractive" include aesthetic, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, comely, cute, drop-dead and fair. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Attractive" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Attractive"?

There are 112 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Attractive". Common alternatives include aesthetic, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching and good.

What is the opposite of "Attractive"?

Antonyms of "Attractive" include grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic and unattractive. Near antonyms include abhorrent, abominable, bad and disagreeable.

How do you use "Attractive" in a sentence?

Examples of "Attractive" in a sentence: "generally the star of a TV commercial is an attractive person"; "world travel has always been very attractive to me".

Is "Attractive" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Attractive" is an adjective.

Is "Attractive" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Attractive" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Attractive"?

"Attractive" is pronounced /ə-ˈtrak-tiv/ and divided into syllables as at·trac·tive.