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

• ambrosial
• dainty
• delectable
• delicious
• delish
• flavorful
• flavorsome
• luscious
• lush
• mouthwatering
• palatable
• savory
• savoury
• scrumptious
• succulent
• tasteful
• tasty
• toothsome
• toothy
• yummy

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

To make this even more appetizing for Seattle, Gilbert likely has the most trade value of the starting rotation. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

Pure Green is a juice bar brand shaking up the health food industry with high-quality ingredients that are both appetizing and nutritious. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025

Speaking as someone who is just as likely to slice up his fingers as cut a cucumber into thin, appetizing slices, a vegetable chopper can remove the work (and pain) that goes into cutting up vegetables, fruits and other foods. —Ho Lin, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025

Simply Nova Williamsburg nostalgic appetizing shop gone gourmet offers its signature one-pound hamantaschen year-round, occasionally in special seasonal flavors like pumpkin pie in the fall. —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 28 Feb. 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