- 1 (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way an attractive woman I like John but I don't find him attractive physically. Synonymsbeautifulpretty handsome attractive lovely good-looking gorgeousThese words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.beautiful (especially of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:She looked stunningly beautiful that night.pretty (especially of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:She’s got a very pretty face. Pretty is used most often to talk about girls. When it is used to talk about a woman, it usually suggests that she is like a girl, with small, delicate features.handsome (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:He was described as ‘tall, dark and handsome’.attractive (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:She’s a very attractive woman.lovely (of a person) beautiful; very attractive:She looked particularly lovely that night. When you describe somebody as lovely, you are usually showing that you also have a strong feeling of affection for them.good-looking (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:She arrived with a very good-looking man.gorgeous (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:You look gorgeous!attractive or good-looking? If you describe somebody as attractive you often also mean that they have a pleasant personality as well as being pleasant to look at; good-looking just describes somebody’s physical appearance.Patterns a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking/gorgeous girl/woman a(n) beautiful/handsome/attractive/good-looking/gorgeous boy/man a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking face Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look, become, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … prepositionto See full entry
- 2 (of a thing or a place) pleasant a big house with an attractive garden Your new glasses are very attractive. Antique furniture is used to make an attractive contrast with a modern setting. That's one of the less attractive aspects of her personality. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look, become, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … prepositionto See full entry
- 3 having features or qualities that make something seem interesting and worth having synonym appealing an attractive offer/proposition They are able to offer attractive career opportunities to graduates. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look, become, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … prepositionto See full entry opposite unattractive Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘absorbent’): from French attractif, -ive, from late Latin attractivus, from the verb attrahere, from ad- ‘to’ + trahere ‘draw’.Extra examples He no longer found her physically attractive. Schools must try to make science more attractive to youngsters. She looked attractive and beautifully dressed. The policy is superficially attractive, but unlikely to work. This is an idea that I find very attractive. This is not an economically attractive option for many farmers. a stunningly attractive woman a visually attractive display I like John as a person, but I don’t find him attractive physically. She’s a very attractive woman. The city itself is very attractive. They’ve made us a very attractive offer. This is a big house with an attractive garden. an attractive idea/theory/proposition/option/prospect/package/offer
Check pronunciation: attractive
