de·sir·able
di-ˈzī-rə-bəl 
1
: having pleasing qualities or properties : attractive
"Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner."—
Jane Austen
Jane Austena house in a highly desirable location
2
: worth seeking or doing as advantageous, beneficial, or wise : advisable
desirable legislation
desirableness
noun
: a person or thing that merits or attracts favorable attention and consideration : one that is desirable
Synonyms
Examples of desirable in a Sentence
Adjective
The house is in a highly desirable location.
The new stove has many desirable features.
the qualities that make a desirable business partner
The experiment did not achieve a desirable result.
a beautiful and desirable woman
Recent Examples on the WebAmanda Mull, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Using all these data sources, researchers trained a machine learning model to predict how a beer would taste—and how desirable those flavors would be to consumers—by studying its chemical makeup.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
For centuries thereafter, the uppermost floors remained least desirable (think servants’ quarters and Parisian garrets) until the invention of the commercial passenger elevator in the 1850s.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Meat, considered more desirable, was largely reserved for plantation owners.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Buying shares in a home in a highly desirable vacation destination gives homeowners more buying power, said Stephen O’Connor, research professor of real estate and the chair of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at the George Washington University School of Business.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Jagna is considered the most desirable woman in the village, with a beauty that men, unmarried and married alike, desire.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024
And yet, as many reasonable folks recognize, what is deemed exclusive and desirable are often just beautiful illusions; the tatters and tears are carefully tucked away from the public eye.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
But not every Swayze character is oily in such a desirable way.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
Derek Chollet, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2016
Self-cleaning functions probably top the list of desirables, while tanks that only require a rinse-out post-cleaning are a close second.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2024
To the hopeful eye, this wide cooler sometimes looks sadly empty, lacking desirables that could have made it to that night’s dinner table.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023
The Constitution protects desirables and undesirables alike.
—Phil Gramm and Michael Solon, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2020
Responses ran the gamut of tangible and intangible desirables, some of which are truly shoot-for-the-stars gifts and at least one that doesn't cost any money at all.
—Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2019
The undesirables are migrants or refugees, the desirables are expats or cosmopolitans.
—Ben Huberman, Longreads, 21 July 2017
Adjective
Hermès has a monopoly on Birkin bags, so the suit alleges, and the Hermès Game amounts to tying, a potentially anticompetitive practice in which buyers are required to purchase additional, unwanted goods as a precondition of receiving a desirable product.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Using all these data sources, researchers trained a machine learning model to predict how a beer would taste—and how desirable those flavors would be to consumers—by studying its chemical makeup.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
For centuries thereafter, the uppermost floors remained least desirable (think servants’ quarters and Parisian garrets) until the invention of the commercial passenger elevator in the 1850s.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Meat, considered more desirable, was largely reserved for plantation owners.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Buying shares in a home in a highly desirable vacation destination gives homeowners more buying power, said Stephen O’Connor, research professor of real estate and the chair of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at the George Washington University School of Business.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Jagna is considered the most desirable woman in the village, with a beauty that men, unmarried and married alike, desire.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024
And yet, as many reasonable folks recognize, what is deemed exclusive and desirable are often just beautiful illusions; the tatters and tears are carefully tucked away from the public eye.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
But not every Swayze character is oily in such a desirable way.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
Chollet’s approach is both provocative and intriguing: the fact that Obama’s strategy consists of a list of desirables rather than a hierarchy of goals is one of the main charges made by the president’s critics.
—Derek Chollet, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2016
Self-cleaning functions probably top the list of desirables, while tanks that only require a rinse-out post-cleaning are a close second.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2024
To the hopeful eye, this wide cooler sometimes looks sadly empty, lacking desirables that could have made it to that night’s dinner table.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023
The Constitution protects desirables and undesirables alike.
—Phil Gramm and Michael Solon, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2020
Responses ran the gamut of tangible and intangible desirables, some of which are truly shoot-for-the-stars gifts and at least one that doesn't cost any money at all.
—Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2019
The undesirables are migrants or refugees, the desirables are expats or cosmopolitans.
—Ben Huberman, Longreads, 21 July 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desirable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near desirable
Cite this Entry
“Desirable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desirable. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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