attraction

/əˈtrækʃən/
/əˈtrækʃən/
IPA guide

Other forms: attractions

The charm or special quality of something that draws you to it is its attraction. The attraction of a college might be its sports program, for example, or the attraction of a job might be its high pay.

An attraction can be a physical force as well as a psychological one — though sometimes, as with love, it can be hard to tell the two apart. Planets have a gravitational attraction to each other, as do opposite magnetic poles. Attraction can also refer to a public entertainment, such as a popular place or a performer or event. You might line up to visit a tourist attraction, or look forward to seeing the main attraction go onstage.

Definitions of attraction
  1. noun
    the quality of arousing interest; being attractive or something that attracts
    “her personality held a strange attraction for him”
    synonyms: attractiveness
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    affinity
    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship
    allure, allurement, temptingness
    the power to entice or attract through personal charm
    binding
    the capacity to attract and hold something
    drawing power
    the capacity for attracting people (customers or supporters)
    fascination
    the capacity to attract intense interest
    come-on, enticement, lure
    qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
    sexual attraction
    attractiveness on the basis of sexual desire
    show-stopper, showstopper
    something that is strikingly attractive or has great popular appeal
    glitter
    an exciting but superficial attractiveness
    invitation
    a tempting allurement
    type of:
    quality
    an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
  2. noun
    a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts
    synonyms: attracter, attractive feature, attractor, magnet
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    types:
    attention
    a general interest that leads people to want to know more
    tourist attraction
    a characteristic that attracts tourists
    enhancer, foil
    anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities
    type of:
    characteristic, feature
    a prominent attribute or aspect of something
  3. noun
    an entertainment that is offered to the public
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    types:
    travelog, travelogue
    a film or illustrated lecture on traveling
    counterattraction
    a rival attraction
    type of:
    show
    a social event involving a public performance or entertainment
  4. noun
    an entertainer who attracts large audiences
    synonyms: attracter, attractor, draw, drawing card
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    type of:
    entertainer
    a person who tries to please or amuse
  5. noun
    the force by which one object attracts another
    synonyms: attractive force
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    antonyms:
    repulsion
    the force by which bodies repel one another
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    affinity
    (immunology) the attraction between an antigen and an antibody
    bond, chemical bond
    an electrical force linking atoms
    gravitation, gravitational attraction, gravitational force, gravity
    (physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface
    magnetic attraction, magnetic force, magnetism
    attraction for iron; associated with electric currents as well as magnets; characterized by fields of force
    van der Waal's forces
    relatively weak attraction between neutral atoms and molecules arising from polarization induced in each particle by the presence of other particles
    covalent bond
    a chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule
    cross-link, cross-linkage
    a side bond that links two adjacent chains of atoms in a complex molecule
    hydrogen bond
    a chemical bond consisting of a hydrogen atom between two electronegative atoms (e.g., oxygen or nitrogen) with one side be a covalent bond and the other being an ionic bond
    electrostatic bond, electrovalent bond, ionic bond
    a chemical bond in which one atom loses an electron to form a positive ion and the other atom gains an electron to form a negative ion
    metallic bond
    a chemical bond in which electrons are shared over many nuclei and electronic conduction occurs
    peptide bond, peptide linkage
    the primary linkage of all protein structures; the chemical bond between the carboxyl groups and amino groups that unites a peptide
    solar gravity
    the gravity of the sun
    electromagnetism
    magnetism produced by an electric current
    antiferromagnetism
    magnetic field creates parallel but opposing spins; varies with temperature
    diamagnetism
    phenomenon exhibited by materials like copper or bismuth that become magnetized in a magnetic field with a polarity opposite to the magnetic force; unlike iron they are slightly repelled by a magnet
    ferromagnetism
    phenomenon exhibited by materials like iron (nickel or cobalt) that become magnetized in a magnetic field and retain their magnetism when the field is removed
    paramagnetism
    materials like aluminum or platinum become magnetized in a magnetic field but it disappears when the field is removed
    type of:
    force
    (physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity
Pronunciation
US
/əˈtrækʃən/
UK
/əˈtrækʃən/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘attraction'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

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