Fetching — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈfe-chiŋ/ fetch·ing

Meaning & Definition of Fetching

Fetching (adjective)

  1. attractive, appealing

Fetching (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having an often mysterious or magical power to attract

    "the woman's fetching smile has long made the painting a favorite with visitors to the museum"

    similar: alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fascinating, 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

  2. very pleasing to look at

    "a most fetching outfit in which to go skiing"

    similar: aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny (chiefly British), comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, 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

Fetching (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to have a price of

    "those old toys that we tossed away are now fetching big bucks as antiques"

    similar: bringing, costing, going (for), running, selling (for)
    related: listing (for), amounting (to), coming (to), totaling, commanding, exacting, asking, demanding

Related Entry: Fetch (verb)

Fetch is a different word from Fetching. The synonyms below are for fetch, not for fetching.

  1. to have a price of

    "those old toys that we tossed away are now fetching big bucks as antiques"

    similar: bring, cost, go (for), run, sell (for)
    related: list (for), amount (to), come (to), total, command, exact, ask, demand

Related Entry: Fetching up (verb)

Fetching up is a different word from Fetching. The synonyms below are for fetching up, not for fetching.

  1. to bring (something) to a standstill

    "the driver fetched up the horse-drawn carriage in front of the church"

    similar: arresting, bringing up, catching, checking, drawing up, halting, holding up, pulling up, stalling, staying, stilling, stopping
    related: baffling, balking, blockading, blocking, bottlenecking, clogging, damming, detaining, hindering, holding, holding back, impeding, obstructing, snagging, stemming, concluding, cutting off, ending, terminating, calling, discontinuing, suspending, choking off, reining (in), repressing, squashing, squelching, stanching, stunting, suppressing, turning back
    near: carrying on, continuing, following through (with), keeping (on), keeping up, persisting, running on, advancing, faring, going along, marching, moving, proceeding, progressing, wending, actuating, budging, driving, goading, impelling, propelling, pushing, spurring, stirring

Related Entry: Fetch up (verb)

Fetch up is a different word from Fetching. The synonyms below are for fetch up, not for fetching.

  1. to bring (something) to a standstill

    "the driver fetched up the horse-drawn carriage in front of the church"

    similar: arrest, bring up, catch, check, draw up, halt, hold up, pull up, stall, stay, still, stop
    related: baffle, balk, block, blockade, bottleneck, clog, dam, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, obstruct, snag, stem, conclude, cut off, end, terminate, call, discontinue, suspend, choke off, rein (in), repress, squash, squelch, stanch, stunt, suppress, turn back
    near: carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep (on), keep up, persist, run on, advance, fare, go along, march, move, proceed, progress, wend, actuate, budge, drive, goad, impel, propel, push, spur, stir

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fetching

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fetching:

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

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Fetching

Words with the opposite meaning of Fetching:

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

Related Words for Fetching

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, cunning, prepossessing, elegant, exquisite

Near Antonyms of Fetching

boring, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, offensive, shocking, sickening, drab, dreary, dull, flat, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous

Word Forms of Fetching

Derived words: fetchingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Fetching

First known use: 1880

Frequently Asked Questions about Fetching

What does "Fetching" mean?

"Fetching" means attractive, appealing. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: attractive, appealing. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fetching"?

Other words for "Fetching" include alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming and elfin. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fetching" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fetching"?

There are 125 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fetching". Common alternatives include alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting and engaging.

What is the opposite of "Fetching"?

Antonyms of "Fetching" include repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring, grotesque and hideous. Near antonyms include boring, irksome, tedious and tiresome.

How do you use "Fetching" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fetching" in a sentence: "the woman's fetching smile has long made the painting a favorite with visitors to the museum"; "a most fetching outfit in which to go skiing"; "those old toys that we tossed away are now fetching big bucks as antiques".

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

"Fetching" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Fetching"?

"Fetching" is pronounced /ˈfe-chiŋ/ and divided into syllables as fetch·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Fetching"?

First known use: 1880.