appealing

adjective

ap·​peal·​ing ə-ˈpē-liŋ How to pronounce appealing (audio)
1
: having appeal : pleasing
an appealing design
2
: marked by earnest entreaty : imploring
the appealing look of an injured dog
appealingly adverb

Examples of appealing in a Sentence

a book with an appealing title the idea of living on Mars is appealing to space enthusiasts
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This debt burden, coupled with regulatory scrutiny in the U.K., renders an acquisition less appealing for U.S. supermajors who value financial flexibility. Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 England and India will go head-to-head over the next six weeks without the cricketing royalty of James Anderson or Virat Kohli for the first time in two decades, but that does not make the five-Test series any less appealing. Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 19 June 2025 Industry critics say higher taxes could hurt the state’s nascent legal cannabis marketplace — which still hasn’t fully launched — by making black market alternatives more appealing to customers. Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025 This would make the manuscript more appealing to publishers. Literary Hub, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for appealing

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of appeal entry 2

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of appealing was in 1749

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Cite this Entry

“Appealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appealing. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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