engaging

[ en-gey-jing ]

adjective

1. winning; attractive; pleasing:

   an engaging smile.

   Synonyms: agreeable, charming

engaging

/ ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ /

adjective

1. pleasing, charming, or winning

Derived Forms

• enˈgagingly, adverb
• enˈgagingness, noun

Other Words From

• en·gaging·ly adverb
• en·gaging·ness noun
• quasi-en·gaging adjective
• quasi-en·gaging·ly adverb
• unen·gaging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of engaging¹

First recorded in 1665–75; engage + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Bush busy engaging constituents on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate ahead of the 2004 presidential election.

From The Daily Beast

What ritual did some celebrities start engaging in over the summer?

From The Daily Beast

Yet despite his engaging irascibility, Mamoon never quite emerges as a character in his own right.

From The Daily Beast

Like baseball, our political system is more engaging if you participate.

From The Daily Beast

What should the protocol be for engaging people on the street who offer unsolicited “compliments?”

From The Daily Beast

When she did this, and drooped the corners of her mouth, she was very engaging, and the young man tingled all over with pity.

From Project Gutenberg

It represents an engaging personality, in which vivacity and sensibility are distinctly indicated.

From Project Gutenberg

But she was an exquisitely pretty and engaging little thing, a grand little pal, and worth cultivating.

From Project Gutenberg

Whatever argument can be employed to establish the propriety of engaging vocally in any religious service is here available.

From Project Gutenberg

The magnitude, and variety, and demands of the objects embraced by it, define the times necessary for engaging in it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alluring
• appealing
• attractive
• captivating
• fascinating
• interesting
• intriguing
• inviting
• likable
• lovable
• pleasant
• pleasing
• sweet