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

Yet this might be the league’s most attractive opening, because of young building blocks in Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers and Abdul Carter — all on rookie contracts — who pair with an offensive line that’s above-average, so long as left tackle Andrew Thomas is healthy. —Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

There could be more on the horizon, but here are the rankings for the most attractive openings currently on the list. —Staff, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026

These attractive plants thrive indoors and look wonderful cascading from a container or climbing up a trellis. —Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 7 Jan. 2026

Many national stockyards and stock shows closed in the 1970s, making Denver’s more attractive but also forcing producers to think about the value of large-scale animal gatherings, Fessenden said. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 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