desirable

[ dih-zahyuhr-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. worth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine:

   a desirable apartment.

2. arousing desire or longing:

   a desirable man or woman.

3. advisable; recommendable:

   a desirable law.

noun

1. a person or thing that is desirable.

desirable

/ dɪˈzaɪərəbəl /

adjective

1. worthy of desire or recommendation

   a desirable residence

2. arousing desire, esp sexual desire; attractive

noun

1. a person or thing that is the object of desire

Derived Forms

• deˌsiraˈbility, noun
• deˈsirably, adverb

Other Words From

• de·sira·bili·ty de·sira·ble·ness noun
• de·sira·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of desirable¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to desire + -able

Example Sentences

“This is why we’re seeing security tags on blocks of cheddar in supermarkets. Based on price alone, cheese is one of the most desirable foods a criminal can steal.”

From BBC

Actually, Hernández sees it as his advantage and is reclaiming his height as desirable.

From Salon

Remember, too, that what always made Twitter/X more potent and desirable to those right-wingers was the fact that there were libs on the platform they could dunk on and to whom they could present themselves in opposition.

From Slate

People had started to move around the country, whether to be closer to family for child care, or to more affordable areas, or even to more desirable ones.

From Slate

But more recent history suggests something different: Foods such as sushi, offal and even lobster became desirable not despite but because of their novelty and difference.

From Salon

Related Words

• acceptable
• beneficial
• enviable
• expedient
• gratifying
• helpful
• preferable
• profitable
• useful
• worthwhile