desirable

adjective

de·sir·able | \ di-ˈzī-rə-bəl

Definition of desirable

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 a house in a highly desirable location

2 : worth seeking or doing as advantageous, beneficial, or wise : advisable desirable legislation

desirable

noun

Definition of desirable (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person or thing that merits or attracts favorable attention and consideration : one that is desirable

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Synonyms for desirable

Synonyms: Adjective

bodacious, dishy, hot, luscious, sexy, toothsome

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 Web: Adjective

Fifty-seven years after its debut, the Arco Floor Lamp is still an iconic and desirable design—made famous in part by its big-screen appearances in movies like Diamonds Are Forever and The Italian Job. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "The Arco Floor Lamp Is the Perfect Solution for Rooms Without Overhead Lighting," 5 Feb. 2019 Safety is naturally a critical part of any aircraft, especially one carrying people, so replacing flammable material is obviously desirable. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "New Lithium Metal Batteries Can Power Drones for Longer (and It Could Change Everything)," 16 Apr. 2019 Gone are the days when being devoured felt desirable. — Reema Zaman, Vogue, "The Woman I Would Have Been Had I Let Myself Love You," 13 Feb. 2019 Expansions like this can be both a boon and a burden for cities; on one hand, thousands of high-paying new jobs and taxpayers are desirable and present new opportunities for smart investment. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "Apple will spend $1 billion and hire up to 15,000 people for new Austin office," 13 Dec. 2018 Think of them as little green thieves, stealing water, space and nutrients from desirable garden neighbors. — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, "Get your green thumbs into high gear | The Sacramento Bee," 20 Apr. 2018 If living directly below the man who was voted America's least desirable celebrity neighbor doesn't bother you, the apartment really does have plenty going for it. — Bridget Mallon, ELLE Decor, "A Trump Tower Penthouse Just Hit The Market For $23 Million," 5 Feb. 2016 Cars piloted by people will soon be less desirable—perhaps even outlawed. — A.j. Baime, WSJ, "A Porsche 911 Fan Finds His Car for Life," 26 Mar. 2019 The location high in the mountains of Chile is desirable because the air is so dry and thin here that atmospheric refraction, which obscures astronomers' views of the cosmos, is less of a hindrance than almost anywhere else on the planet. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Extremely Large Telescope Construction Is Under Way in Chile," 7 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The undesirables are migrants or refugees, the desirables are expats or cosmopolitans. — Ben Huberman, Longreads, "An Expat by Any Other Name (Is Sometimes a Digital Nomad)," 21 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'desirable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

21 May 2019

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Time Traveler for desirable

The first known use of desirable was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for desirable

desirable

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of desirable

: having good or pleasing qualities : worth having or getting

: sexually attractive

See the full definition for desirable in the English Language Learners Dictionary

desirable

adjective

de·sir·able | \ di-ˈzī-rə-bəl

Kids Definition of desirable

1 : having pleasing qualities : attractive a desirable location

2 : worth having or seeking “… a good heart is, I believe, much more desirable than education or brains.”— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz