appetizing

adjective

ap·​pe·​tiz·​ing ˈa-pə-ˌtī-ziŋ 

: appealing to the appetite especially in appearance or aroma

also : appealing to one's taste

an appetizing display of merchandise

appetizingly

ˈa-pə-ˌtī-ziŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• delicious
• edible

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of appetizing in a Sentence

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

that dish looks very appetizing

Recent Examples on the Web

Research into color’s effect on food has found that red is among the most appetizing colors, partly a result of our natural response as a human animal: Nature tells us when apples, berries, and pomegranates are their ripest and most nutritionally dense. —Bedatri D. Choudhury, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025

And to their credit, these little chocolate wafer-like disks look fairly appetizing. —New Atlas, 4 May 2025

If history is a guide, the risk versus reward for investors looking out a year looks appetizing. —Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025

Find recipes that look appetizing and simple to make on social media, TikTok and YouTube have great step-by-step tutorials. —Kara Nesvig, Parents, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French appétissant (going back to Middle French, from apetit, appetit appetite + -issant, present participle ending of most -ir verbs), with conformation of -issant to -ize and -ing entry 3

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for appetizing

• advertising
• amortizing
• analyzing
• anodizing
• atomizing
• authorising
• authorizing
• carbonizing
• carburizing
• catalyzing
• centralising
• centralizing

Kids Definition

appetizing

adjective

ap·​pe·​tiz·​ing ˈap-ə-ˌtī-ziŋ 

: appealing to the appetite

appetizingly adverb