de·sir·able
di-ˈzī-rə-bəl 
1
: having pleasing qualities or properties : attractive
"Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner."—
Jane Austen
Jane Austena house in a highly desirable location
2
: worth seeking or doing as advantageous, beneficial, or wise : advisable
desirable legislation
desirableness
noun
: a person or thing that merits or attracts favorable attention and consideration : one that is desirable
Synonyms
Examples of desirable in a Sentence
Adjective
The house is in a highly desirable location.
The new stove has many desirable features.
the qualities that make a desirable business partner
The experiment did not achieve a desirable result.
a beautiful and desirable woman
Recent Examples on the WebBilly Perrigo, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The Roadster, with 1,858 examples made, underwent numerous production changes from 1957 through 1963, the late models being most desirable.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Based on customer search data, the company identified the most desirable destinations with the highest migration rates, and a city in the Sunshine State topped the list.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Right after stability on the list of desirable features comes high pay, then flexibility, says Cruzvergara.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
These widely desirable qualities make CBD popular with a variety of people.
—Alyssa Edwards, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Much like the few other great carmakers who lead the way, Mercedes must hedge bets by pursuing costly development of battery-electric vehicles while keeping gasoline vehicles fresh and desirable.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Hermès has a monopoly on Birkin bags, so the suit alleges, and the Hermès Game amounts to tying, a potentially anticompetitive practice in which buyers are required to purchase additional, unwanted goods as a precondition of receiving a desirable product.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Using all these data sources, researchers trained a machine learning model to predict how a beer would taste—and how desirable those flavors would be to consumers—by studying its chemical makeup.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Derek Chollet, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2016
Self-cleaning functions probably top the list of desirables, while tanks that only require a rinse-out post-cleaning are a close second.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2024
To the hopeful eye, this wide cooler sometimes looks sadly empty, lacking desirables that could have made it to that night’s dinner table.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023
The Constitution protects desirables and undesirables alike.
—Phil Gramm and Michael Solon, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2020
Responses ran the gamut of tangible and intangible desirables, some of which are truly shoot-for-the-stars gifts and at least one that doesn't cost any money at all.
—Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2019
The undesirables are migrants or refugees, the desirables are expats or cosmopolitans.
—Ben Huberman, Longreads, 21 July 2017
Adjective
Still, the question of power remains: who gets to decide which kinds of content are desirable?
—Billy Perrigo, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The Roadster, with 1,858 examples made, underwent numerous production changes from 1957 through 1963, the late models being most desirable.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Based on customer search data, the company identified the most desirable destinations with the highest migration rates, and a city in the Sunshine State topped the list.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Right after stability on the list of desirable features comes high pay, then flexibility, says Cruzvergara.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
These widely desirable qualities make CBD popular with a variety of people.
—Alyssa Edwards, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Much like the few other great carmakers who lead the way, Mercedes must hedge bets by pursuing costly development of battery-electric vehicles while keeping gasoline vehicles fresh and desirable.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Hermès has a monopoly on Birkin bags, so the suit alleges, and the Hermès Game amounts to tying, a potentially anticompetitive practice in which buyers are required to purchase additional, unwanted goods as a precondition of receiving a desirable product.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Using all these data sources, researchers trained a machine learning model to predict how a beer would taste—and how desirable those flavors would be to consumers—by studying its chemical makeup.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
Chollet’s approach is both provocative and intriguing: the fact that Obama’s strategy consists of a list of desirables rather than a hierarchy of goals is one of the main charges made by the president’s critics.
—Derek Chollet, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2016
Self-cleaning functions probably top the list of desirables, while tanks that only require a rinse-out post-cleaning are a close second.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2024
To the hopeful eye, this wide cooler sometimes looks sadly empty, lacking desirables that could have made it to that night’s dinner table.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023
The Constitution protects desirables and undesirables alike.
—Phil Gramm and Michael Solon, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2020
Responses ran the gamut of tangible and intangible desirables, some of which are truly shoot-for-the-stars gifts and at least one that doesn't cost any money at all.
—Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2019
The undesirables are migrants or refugees, the desirables are expats or cosmopolitans.
—Ben Huberman, Longreads, 21 July 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desirable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near desirable
Cite this Entry
“Desirable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desirable. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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