desirable

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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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 The old city of Palma, once almost a no-go zone, had begun its rapid transformation into one of the Mediterranean's most desirable destinations. — Paul Richardson, Condé Nast Traveler, "Thanks to a New Generation of Creatives, Mallorca Is Shedding Its Party Reputation," 4 Jan. 2021 Ani Patel from Tufts University researches the correlation, or lack thereof, between musicality and the selective development of other desirable traits in humans. — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Arts & Culture Newsletter: City Ballet’s ‘A Masquerade Nutcracker’," 31 Dec. 2020 For thousands of years, humans have been modifying the DNA of our closest furry and feathered friends by breeding animals to produce the most desirable traits. — Megan Molteni, Wired, "2020 Was a Breakout Year for Crispr," 28 Dec. 2020 This suddenly makes the open general manager position one of the most desirable in recent memory. — Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, "Jacksonville Jaguars secure No. 1 overall selection in 2021 NFL draft with loss, Jets victory," 28 Dec. 2020 The new ordinance states that domestic strains of honeybees have been selectively bred for desirable traits, including gentleness, honey production, tendency not to swarm and non-aggressive behavior. — John Benson, cleveland, "Let the pollinating begin: Lakewood City Council approves beekeeping ordinance," 16 Dec. 2020 At the end of October, Tomeo and his team were listing out desirable traits to consider in deciding which animals to breed next. — Bailey Berg, Smithsonian Magazine, "How Denali National Park’s Sled Dogs Prepare for Winter," 15 Dec. 2020 For example, it's been used to grow rice that accumulates lower levels of potentially toxic heavy metals and create livestock with more desirable traits. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "What is CRISPR and why is it controversial?," 7 Oct. 2020 Recently, a number of wise draft evaluators have been promoting Ball as the best player, or at least the most desirable No. 1 pick, in this draft class. — Star Tribune, "Anthony Edwards is best fit and safest pick at No. 1 for the Timberwolves," 17 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Constitution protects desirables and undesirables alike. — Phil Gramm And Michael Solon, WSJ, "The Plot to Politicize Banking," 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, "Staffsource: Ars staffers’ most wished-for gifts in 2019," 22 Nov. 2019 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

11 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Desirable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desirable. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.

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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

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