SKIP TO CONTENT

inviting

/ɪnˈvaɪdɪŋ/

/ɪnˈvaɪtɪŋ/

Inviting things are very appealing. Your host's inviting smile makes you truly feel welcomed and even a little bit charmed.

On a hot summer day, nothing looks quite as inviting as a cool, sparkling swimming pool, and when you come inside after walking home in the snow, a cozy fire in the wood stove is also quite inviting. Something inviting promises comfort or pleasure. The word comes from invitation, from the Latin invitare, "invite, treat, or entertain," which originally meant "be pleasant toward."

Definitions of inviting
  1. adjective
    attractive and tempting
    “an inviting offer”
    Synonyms:
    attractive
    pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
    invitatory
    conveying an invitation
    tantalising, tantalizing, tempting
    very pleasantly inviting
    tantalising, tantalizing
    arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    uninviting
    neither attractive nor tempting
    unattractive
    lacking beauty or charm
    unattractive, untempting
    not appealing to the senses
    show more antonyms...
Pronunciation
US

/ɪnˈvaɪdɪŋ/

UK

/ɪnˈvaɪtɪŋ/

Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘inviting'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up inviting for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer