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

Bimbofication is the act of dressing like an attractive dumb woman and acting out the part. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026

Milky Way™ requires little to no pruning to maintain an attractive shape. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026

If capital is taxed more and labor less, replacing people with AI is no longer the cheapest path, and using AI to augment human workers rather than replace them becomes a more attractive option. —Ravi Kumar S, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

While macroeconomic headwinds could weigh on Disney’s outlook, the firm said that makes these levels an attractive valuation to get in and buy the stock. —Lisa Kailai Han,davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2026

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