appetizing

adjective ap·pe·tiz·ing \ -ˌtī-ziŋ \

Definition of appetizing

:appealing to the appetite especially in appearance or aroma; also :appealing to one's taste

an appetizing display of merchandise

—

appetizingly

play \-ziŋ-lē\ adverb

See appetizing defined for English-language learners

See appetizing defined for kids

Examples of appetizing in a Sentence

While the stew may not look very appetizing, it tastes wonderful.
that dish looks very appetizing

Recent Examples of appetizing from the Web

Reducing paper and properly storing clothes and pantry items will make your home less appetizing for them.

— Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Rid of Insects and Pests," 6 Aug. 2017
And while the presence of a lot of oil and sugar is not exactly unprecedented in Chinese American cooking (gasp!), a lighter hand would have resulted in more appetizing dishes.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Dining review: China Garden Asian Bistro gets sleek new space," 4 Aug. 2017
Stroll in their garden among flowers, animals, and vegetables before relishing their appetizing food, all produced on-site.

— matilde wergeland, Vogue, "A Guide to Sweden’s Charming, Relaxed Southernmost County: Skåne," 4 Aug. 2017
Unlike their parents, children’s taste buds magnify the effects of sugar, making extreme saccharinity an appetizing, not revolting, characteristic.

— matthew sedacca, GQ, "The Business Strategy Behind Oreo's Constant, Weird New Flavors," 10 July 2017
Green Bay scooped him up in free agency, and as appetizing as his addition is to this offense, these guys still haven’t played together.

— jonathan jones, SI.com, "After the Steelers, which NFL team boasts the best offensive trio in football?," 23 June 2017
People served themselves 23% more of the vegetable when it was described with more appetizing language than when it was simply presented with a basic label.

— alice park, Time, "Here's the Easiest Way to Eat More Vegetables," 12 June 2017
In 2017, current events make escape into a sci-fi story all the more appetizing, and there's a lot of great choices already.

— tiffany kelly, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Science Fiction Books of 2017 (So Far)," 12 June 2017
Listen in now for horrifying tales of melamine-laced baby food and copper-painted tea leaves, but also for the surprisingly appetizing ways in which eaters can defend themselves against scams.

— nicola twilley, The Atlantic, "The Surprisingly Subtle Art of Food Fraud," 7 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appetizing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of appetizing

1653

appetizing Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of appetizing

palatable, appetizing, savory, tasty, toothsome mean agreeable or pleasant especially to the sense of taste. palatable often applies to something that is found to be merely agreeable.

- butterflies that birds find palatable

appetizing suggests a whetting of the appetite and applies to aroma and appearance as well as taste.

- appetizing hors d'oeuvres

savory applies to both taste and aroma and suggests piquancy and often spiciness.

- dumplings with savory fillings

tasty implies a pronounced taste.

- a tart and tasty pie

toothsome stresses the notion of agreeableness and sometimes implies tenderness or daintiness.

- an enticing array of toothsome desserts

APPETIZING Defined for English Language Learners

appetizing

adjective

Definition of appetizing for English Language Learners

: having a good smell or appearance that makes people want to eat

APPETIZING Defined for Kids

appetizing

adjective ap·pe·tiz·ing \ ˈa-pə-ˌtī-ziŋ \

Definition of appetizing for Students

:pleasing to the appetite

an appetizing smell

Learn More about appetizing

See words that rhyme with appetizing Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for appetizing Spanish Central: Translation of appetizing Nglish: Translation of appetizing for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up appetizing? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

appetizing

Definition of appetizing

appetizingly

Read the Latest from M-W

Examples of appetizing in a Sentence

Recent Examples of appetizing from the Web

First Known Use of appetizing

appetizing Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of appetizing

APPETIZING Defined for English Language Learners

appetizing

Definition of appetizing for English Language Learners

APPETIZING Defined for Kids

appetizing

Definition of appetizing for Students

Learn More about appetizing

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

8 Words for Trickery and Deception

'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

Words of the Year: 1066