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

However, TPUs are not as attractive when the aim is to rent compute out to customers, which is what Google does as the world's third-biggest cloud behind Amazon and Microsoft. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2025

Southern and seasonal ingredients make these syrups even more attractive—a way to turn Southern heritage into Southern hospitality. —Rebecca Deurlein, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025

That makes the technology attractive for confined environments, such as ships and spacecraft, according to the Institute of Mechanics. —Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

There’s a beauty to it, but there’s also a voyeuristic element to the show that’s really attractive to me. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025

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