appealing

adjective

ap·​peal·​ing ə-ˈpē-liŋ 

1

: having appeal : pleasing

an appealing design

2

: marked by earnest entreaty : imploring

the appealing look of an injured dog

appealingly

ə-ˈpē-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of appealing

• attractive
• charming
• charismatic
• fascinating
• seductive
• enchanting

Examples of appealing in a Sentence

a book with an appealing title

the idea of living on Mars is appealing to space enthusiasts

Recent Examples on the Web

The eco-friendly aesthetic was an appealing brand story at first, but the company belatedly realized that analysts were right in saying that Allbirds’ marketing was too focused on sustainability virtues and not enough on the appeal of its shoes. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026

In a big, beautiful twist of irony in other words, Underwood’s actual personality made using personality assessments more appealing. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026

With his future in Chicago uncertain — especially given the team is far from championship contention — a rare opportunity like the North Carolina job could make a return to the college ranks very appealing if Donovan is interested. —Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

But ultimately, there’s nothing more appealing than a straight guy who can genuinely queen out about the important things in life (the aforementioned celeb goss, duh) without zoning out or seeming patronizing. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of appeal entry 2

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing appealing

• find appealing

Rhymes for appealing

• annealing
• concealing
• congealing
• freewheeling
• repealing
• revealing
• unfeeling
• ceiling
• dealing
• feeling
• healing
• heeling