DESIRABLE


Meaning of DESIRABLE in English

I. -ˈzīrəbəl adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from desirer + -able

1. : capable of arousing desire:

a. : having the power to attract or bring into demand : of such properties or qualities as to be wished for or sought

one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods

a plant species that may prove to be commercially desirable

often : so valuable or excellent as to assure being desired or selected

b. : such as to awake urgent or passionate longing or craving

there are circumstances in which a scoop of dirty water can be supremely desirable

especially : exciting erotic longing

she was never more desirable than at this moment

2.

a. : worth seeking or doing as advantageous, beneficial, or wise : advisable , expedient

having the footnotes at the back of the book is not nearly so desirable

even if the highest education were desirable for all, which I doubt — Bertrand Russell

desirable freedom and individual responsibility of the elective system — Official Register of Harvard University

b. : suited to the purposes and objectives of normal society

however desirable a common language for all the world may be — I.A.Richards

the personal opinion of the judge as to what is desirable or undesirable legislation — M.R.Cohen

II. noun

( -s )

: one that is desirable

a balanced diet and adequate rest are basic desirables for any convalescent

: a person or thing that merits or attracts desire or favorable attention and consideration

fostering the desirables and weeding out the undesirables

often : a person regarded as of high social standing and eligibility

moving always in a small circle of desirables he scarcely knew the lower world of clubs and theaters and balls existed

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.