Invitingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that is appealing and encourages others to come closer or participate
2. In a manner that exudes warmth and draws people in with charm and friendliness
3. Displaying an attractive quality that makes others want to approach or engage

Etymology: "Invitingly" is a plain formation: the adjective "inviting" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added. The suffix has a long ancestry of its own. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," which, combined with a suffix meaning "like," produced a sense of "having the form of" or "in the manner of." Over many centuries this became the Old English "-līċe," which shifted through Middle English "-ly" to the modern ending. The word "inviting" itself comes from the verb "invite," so the adverb carries the sense of doing something in a way that draws others toward it. Read literally, the word describes an action done in the manner of an invitation: a room lit warmly, a door left slightly open, a dish set out with a flourish. The adverb took its modern meaning of attractive charm by building on the adjective, whose appeal lies in that same quality of drawing someone in.

Synonyms: enticingly, temptingly, alluringly, welcomingly, appealingly

Antonyms: repulsively, uninvitingly, offensively, displeasingly, unappealingly