appealing

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UK/əˈpiː.lɪŋ/US/ʌˈpi.əl.ɪŋ/US/əˈpi.lɪŋ/

adjective

Having appeal; attractive.

Opposite

Meanings

adjectiveappealing (comparative more appealing, superlative most appealing)

comparative more appealing · superlative most appealing

  1. Having appeal; attractive.

    Her housecoat had fallen open. She was wearing only panties and bra, which did nothing to make her scrawny, wrinkled body appealing.

    1968, Carl Ruhen, The Key Club, Sydney: Scripts, page 12
    2 more examples

    Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains. Getting rid of these nagging infinities has probably occupied far more effort than was spent in originating the theories.

    2012 January 28, Michael Riordan, “Tackling Infinity”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2013, page 86

    Those were all landmark moments to cherish. Just as appealing was the manner in which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner cut swathes down either flank, albeit through flustered full-backs who had looked poorly positioned and horribly jittery from the start.

    2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of appeal
nounappealing (plural appealings)

plural appealings

  1. The act of making an appeal.

    The fair creature abandoned her position, and in the midst of her bitter tears and pathetic appealings, which my sense of duty alone enabled me to resist, I bore my prisoner off.

    1866, Heros von Borcke, Memoirs of the Confederate War for independence

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite

adjectiveable to attract interest or draw favorable attention

Similar
attention-gettingcatchyattractive
Opposite

adjective(of characters in literature or drama) evoking empathic or sympathetic feelings

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Dutch aantrekkelijk
  • aantrekkelijkHaving appeal; attractive
Esperanto alloga
  • allogaHaving appeal; attractive
French attrayant
  • attrayantHaving appeal; attractive
German ansprechend, zugkräftig
  • ansprechendHaving appeal; attractive
  • zugkräftigHaving appeal; attractive
Hindi रुचिकर, आकर्षक
  • रुचिकर (rucikar)Having appeal; attractive
  • आकर्षक (ākarṣak)Having appeal; attractive
Irish tarraingteach, taitneamhach
  • tarraingteachHaving appeal; attractive
  • taitneamhachHaving appeal; attractive
  • mealltachHaving appeal; attractive
Italian suggestivo, gradevole
  • suggestivoHaving appeal; attractive
  • gradevoleHaving appeal; attractive
  • attraenteHaving appeal; attractive
Māori rerehua, ātanga
  • rerehuaHaving appeal; attractive
  • ātangaHaving appeal; attractive
  • turipūHaving appeal; attractive
Russian привлекательный
  • привлекательный (privlekatelʹnyj)Having appeal; attractive
Spanish atrayente, halagüeño
  • atrayenteHaving appeal; attractive
  • halagüeñoHaving appeal; attractive
Ukrainian прива́бливий
  • прива́бливий (pryváblyvyj)Having appeal; attractive

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with appealing

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

appealing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appealing

MLA

“appealing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appealing. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “appealing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appealing.

Source: appealing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.