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

Yet he also supported eugenics, or the pseudoscience of controlling human reproduction to ensure that genetic traits deemed desirable are passed on.

From Salon

We see this as a good long-term plan, since our new house comes with a completely renovated basement and our town is a desirable location with loads of amenities.

From Salon

“The bigger venues are so desirable that studios and distributors will put holds on them a year in advance, sometimes before they even know what films they’ll have,” says agency awards consultant Michael Aaron Lawson.

From Los Angeles Times

“Where feasible and desirable,” the law says, “the project shall include resident ownership.”

From Los Angeles Times

They discovered that some of the pre-fusion F proteins appeared to be unstable and sometimes converted to an open form, or even less desirable, a post-fusion form.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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