Attractiveness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The feature that makes someone or something appealing in a way that captures attention or admiration
2. The characteristic that causes someone or something to draw interest or admiration from others
3. A combination of traits that creates a pleasing or engaging impression to observers

Etymology: "Attractiveness" is a straightforward compound: the adjective "attractive" with the suffix "-ness" added, which turns a quality into a noun for that quality. "Attractive" itself comes from "attract," which traces back through Latin "attrahere," meaning "to draw toward," built from "ad-" ("to") and "trahere" ("to draw"). The idea of drawing something toward you is still visible in the modern sense, since a person or thing with attractiveness pulls the eye or attention of others. The "-ness" ending is far older than the rest of the word. It descends from a Proto-Germanic suffix that formed abstract nouns from adjectives, and it appeared in Old English as "-nes," which gradually became "-ness" in Middle English. Because English speakers could attach this suffix to nearly any adjective, it became one of the language's most productive ways of naming qualities, so words like "kindness," "darkness," and "attractiveness" all follow the same pattern.

Synonyms: appeal, charm, allure

Antonyms: unattractiveness, repulsiveness