attentive

1 of 2

adjective

at·​ten·​tive ə-ˈten-tiv 

1

: mindful, observant

attentive to what he is doing

2

: heedful of the comfort of others : solicitous

an attentive waitress

3

: offering attentions in or as if in the role of a suitor

an attentive boyfriend

attentively adverb

attentiveness noun

attentiveness

2 of 2

noun

at·​ten·​tive·​ness

ə-ˈten-tiv-nəs also a-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being attentive

Synonyms of attentive

Adjective

• focused
• immersed
• absorbed
• interested

Examples of attentive in a Sentence

Adjective

The hospital is proud of its attentive staff.

Our waiter was very attentive.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This caution is surprising in a writer who has elsewhere been fearless about identity and America, attentive to the country’s institutional capacity to humiliate, compromise, and implicate the people who claim it. — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Asphalt shingles, the dominant residential roofing material, sit inside that 20-to-25-year band regardless of how attentive the owner has been. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Service is high-touch, warm and attentive without helicoptering over the table. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Teenagers should also understand that some AI products are designed to keep users engaged, and that an endlessly attentive chatbot may have incentives that are very different from those of a person who actually cares about them. — Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see attend

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for attentive

• agentive
• incentive
• inventive
• preventive
• retentive
• disincentive
• inattentive

Kids Definition

attentive

adjective

at·​ten·​tive ə-ˈtent-iv 

1

: paying attention

2

: thoughtful for the welfare or comfort of others : courteous

attentively adverb

attentiveness noun