desirable
Americanadjective
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worth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine.
a desirable apartment.
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arousing desire or longing.
a desirable man or woman.
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advisable; recommendable.
a desirable law.
noun
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a person or thing that is desirable.
adjective
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worthy of desire or recommendation
a desirable residence
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arousing desire, esp sexual desire; attractive
noun
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a person or thing that is the object of desire
Other Word Forms
- desirability noun
- desirableness noun
- desirably adverb
Etymology
Origin of desirable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to desire + -able
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Homeownership is a lofty and desirable goal — and one that many young Americans think is out of reach.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
The county is gradually moving workers into the 55-story skyscraper at the base of Bunker Hill that was widely considered one of the city’s most desirable office buildings when it was completed in 1991.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
In addition to making work more desirable, Mr. Klingbeil wants to make it easier for companies to hire.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
That included the $55 billion purchase of Anadarko Petroleum in 2019 that substantially increased Occidental’s U.S. production, boosting its exposure in the desirable Permian basin region of Texas.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
They were mostly self-pollinating: that is, the crop varieties could pollinate themselves and pass on their own desirable genes unchanged, instead of having to hybridize with other varieties less useful to humans.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.