Definition of attractive adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

attractive

adjective

/əˈtræktɪv/

(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.
- I find men look more attractive as they age.
Synonyms beautiful
beautifulpretty ▪ handsome ▪ attractive ▪ lovely ▪ good-looking ▪ gorgeousThese words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.
beautiful (most often used of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
pretty (most often used 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 like them very much.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 only 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
Topics Appearancea2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- become
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
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(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.
- The city itself is very attractive.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- become
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
having features or qualities that make something seem interesting and worth having synonym appealing
- an attractive offer/proposition/option
- Proposed improvements will make these areas attractive to first-time buyers.
- They are able to offer attractive career opportunities to graduates.
- The deal is said to be particularly attractive to investors.
Extra Examples
- Schools must try to make science more attractive to youngsters.
- 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- become
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry

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’.

See attractive in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee attractive in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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