attractive

attractive — adjective

1. good to look at or listen to, in a way that many people like.

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

good to look at or listen to, in a way that many people like.

Example

The hotel lobby looked attractive with fresh flowers by the glass door.

linking verb: looked attractive

In the school play, Nora wore an attractive blue coat and red boots.

used before nouns for appearance

Common collocations
  • attractive face
  • attractive smile
  • attractive voice
  • attractive design
  • attractive colour
Synonyms
  • beautiful

    is stronger for beauty and is less natural for sounds.

  • pretty

    is softer and often used for faces, clothes, or small things.

  • good-looking

    is mostly used for a person's appearance.

  • striking

    suggests something catches the eye strongly, not just pleasantly.

Antonyms
  • unattractive

    is the direct opposite.

  • plain

    suggests a simple look without much beauty.

  • ugly

    is much stronger and can sound harsh.

Grammar Patterns

look attractive

sound attractive

an attractive face

an attractive voice

Usage Note

Often used for people, faces, clothes, rooms, and voices. Distinguish from adjective/2: this sense is about pleasing looks or sound, not about a plan or offer seeming worth choosing.

Common Mistakes

I am attractive by her voice.
I am attracted to her voice.' / 'Her voice is attractive.
use 'attracted' for your feeling; 'attractive' describes the thing or person.
He is very attracted in the photo.
He is very attractive in the photo.
'attracted' means feeling interest, not being good-looking.

2. having qualities that make people interested in it or want to have it.

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

having qualities that make people interested in it or want to have it.

Example

Free bus rides make the job more attractive to college students.

attractive to + person

The new phone plan looks attractive because it includes extra data.

linking verb: looks attractive

Common collocations
  • attractive offer
  • attractive option
  • attractive price
  • attractive feature
  • attractive package
Synonyms
  • appealing

    is close in meaning and is common for things that draw interest.

  • desirable

    stresses that something is worth having.

  • tempting

    is especially common for offers, deals, and chances that are hard to refuse.

  • inviting

    often suggests something makes you want to join, try, or come closer.

Antonyms
  • unappealing

    focuses on a lack of interest.

  • undesirable

    stresses that something is not worth having.

  • unattractive

    can also be used for plans or offers that fail to attract interest.

Grammar Patterns

an attractive offer

an attractive option

attractive to + person

make something attractive

Usage Note

Often describes jobs, prices, offers, plans, and features rather than physical beauty. Frequently followed by to when you name the group or person who finds it appealing.

Common Mistakes

The salary is attractive for me.
The salary is attractive to me.
use 'to' after 'attractive' when naming the person who likes it.
This option is attractive because it is beautiful.
This option is attractive because it saves time and money.
this sense usually comes from benefits, not looks.

3. describing a force that draws things closer instead of pushing them apart.

3.adjectiveC2
Definition

describing a force that draws things closer instead of pushing them apart.

Example

The science teacher showed attractive force with two small magnets.

collocation: attractive force

Attractive forces help tiny bits of dust stick to the screen.

plural form: attractive forces

Common collocations
  • attractive force
  • attractive forces
  • attractive power
Synonyms
  • pulling

    is a plain descriptive word rather than a technical label.

  • magnetic

    fits only when magnets are involved.

  • gravitational

    fits only when the pull comes from gravity.

Antonyms
  • repulsive

    is the scientific opposite for a force that pushes things apart.

  • repelling

    is a more general descriptive opposite.

Grammar Patterns

attractive force

attractive forces

attractive force between + things

Usage Note

Mostly appears in science writing or teaching, especially in phrases like attractive force. Distinguish from adjective/1 and adjective/2, which describe beauty or appeal rather than a physical pull.

Common Mistakes

The two magnets are attractive each other.
The two magnets attract each other.' / 'There is an attractive force between them.
use 'attract' as the verb; 'attractive' here is an adjective.
Gravity is attractive.
Gravity is an attractive force.
this sense usually modifies nouns such as 'force'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For sense 1, attractive is a broad everyday word for someone or something that looks good or sounds pleasing. Beautiful is stronger and focuses more on beauty itself. Pretty is softer and is common for faces, clothes, flowers, and other smaller or lighter-looking things. Appealing overlaps when something draws you in, but it often works better for ideas, offers, or plans than for pure physical beauty. Charming adds warmth and personality, so a charming person or village feels pleasant in a more personal way. A singer may have an attractive voice, a garden may look beautiful, a child may be pretty, and a travel plan may sound appealing.

attractive ↗beautiful ↗pretty ↗appealing ↗charming ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • highly attractive
  • particularly attractive

Phrases

  • look attractive
  • sound attractive
  • find something attractive

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Attractive is built from attract and the adjective ending -ive. Attract came into English through French from Latin attrahere, meaning 'draw toward'. The oldest idea is physical pulling, which still appears in the scientific sense of attractive force. Later the word widened to people, sounds, places, and choices that seem to draw liking, interest, or desire.