attractive

adjective

at·​trac·​tive ə-ˈtrak-tiv 

1

a

: arousing interest or pleasure : charming

an attractive smile

b

: appealing

an attractive offer

2

: having or relating to the power to attract

attractive forces between molecules

attractively adverb

attractiveness noun

Synonyms of attractive

• beautiful
• handsome
• cute
• lovely
• gorgeous
• pretty
• charming
• good
• stunning
• elegant

Examples of attractive in a Sentence

An attractive woman greeted us at the door.

The camera has many attractive features at a very attractive price.

Recent Examples on the Web

The cabinetry, which is of premium quality and is exceptionally attractive, offers generous storage space for cooking ingredients and the chef’s tools and utensils. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Lithium-ion will remain attractive where range, weight and energy density are priorities. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

Howard believes munis are attractive right now, particularly for those who are in a tax bracket of 24% or above. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026

And SpaceX faces fierce competition in the US space industry for talented engineers, with higher salaries offered by Blue Origin, and attractive alternatives such as Stoke Space, Rocket Lab, Firefly, and Relativity Space all recruiting. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English attractif, attractive "drawing out foreign matter from the body, able to ingest nutriments," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French attractif, attratif, borrowed from Late Latin attractīvus "capable of attracting, drawing toward itself," from Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere "to draw with force, compel to come" + -īvus -ive — more at attract

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for attractive

• contractive
• extractive
• inactive
• proactive
• reactive
• refractive
• subtractive
• active
• tractive
• bioactive
• hyperactive
• interactive

Kids Definition

attractive

adjective

at·​trac·​tive ə-ˈtrak-tiv 

: having the power or quality of attracting

especially : charming, pleasing

attractively adverb

attractiveness noun