Meaning & use
becoming
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableold-fashioned
Looking good on the person who wears or has it; attractive and flattering.
Grammar: Often followed by on or to: a color becoming on her; a style becoming to him.
Patterns
- becoming on someone
- becoming to someone
That deep green coat is very becoming on you.
She wore her hair in a becoming style.
The new haircut was most becoming.
adjectivecomparableformal
Proper and suitable for a person or situation, matching what is expected of them.
Grammar: Often used in negative form with of: behavior not becoming of an officer.
Patterns
- becoming of someone
- unbecoming of someone
Rudeness is hardly becoming of a host.
He spoke with a becoming modesty.
Her calm reply was becoming to the occasion.
Word forms
| comparative | more becoming |
|---|---|
| superlative | most becoming |
Common combinations
- a becoming color
- Blue is a becoming color on her.
- most becoming
- The scarf looked most becoming.
- becoming modesty
- She accepted the prize with becoming modesty.
- less than becoming
- His angry reply was less than becoming.
- becoming of
- Such language is not becoming of a leader.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flattering
- Flattering is the everyday word for something that makes you look good; becoming sounds more old-fashioned.
- suitable
- Suitable focuses on being right for a purpose, while becoming adds a feeling of grace or good looks.
- fitting
- Fitting suggests proper for the occasion, with no suggestion of looks.
Opposites
Word family
- unbecoming adjective
- not attractive or not proper
- becomingly adverb
- in a flattering or suitable way
- become verb
- to start to be; also to suit someone
- becomingness noun
- the quality of being suitable or flattering (rare)
Commonly confused: becoming or becoming (verb form)?
becoming vs becoming (verb form)
As the -ing form of become, it means turning into something, as in becoming a teacher; the adjective means flattering.
Practice
Her red dress was very ___ and everyone complimented her.
Choose one answer.
Becoming here is an adjective meaning flattering. The other options are verb forms, which do not fit after very.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “becoming”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.