Meaning & use
charming
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having a warm, likable manner that makes other people feel at ease and want to be around you.
Grammar: Works before a noun or after a verb: a charming host, or he was charming.
Patterns
- charming to someone
- a charming person
Our guide was so charming that the whole group forgot about the rain.
She gave a charming little speech at her sister's wedding.
He can be very charming when he wants a favor.
adjectivecomparable
Pleasing to look at or be in, usually because it is small, quaint or gentle in style.
Grammar: Describes places, objects or scenes: a charming cottage.
Patterns
- a charming place
- charming little something
We rented a charming cottage near the harbor.
The café has a charming courtyard with lemon trees.
It was a charming idea to send handwritten invitations.
Word forms
| comparative | more charming |
|---|---|
| superlative | most charming |
Common combinations
- charming smile
- His charming smile disarmed the angry customer.
- absolutely charming
- The village is absolutely charming in spring.
- charming manner
- She has a charming manner with children.
- charming little town
- They moved to a charming little town on the coast.
- charming company
- He proved to be charming company at dinner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delightful
- Delightful stresses the pleasure something gives you and fits experiences and things more easily than it fits a person's smooth manner.
- engaging
- Engaging suggests a person holds your attention with interest, while charming adds the idea of being likable and smooth.
- appealing
- Appealing is milder and more general, saying that something attracts you without any suggestion of personal polish.
- winning
- Winning is used mostly for smiles, ways and manners, and it sounds more old-fashioned than charming.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: charming or charismatic?
charming vs charismatic
Charismatic describes a strong magnetic power that draws followers, while charming is gentler and about being pleasant and likable.
Practice
Which sentence uses charming to describe a place?
Choose one answer.
Charming is an adjective, so it comes before the noun inn. The other options misuse it as a noun, an adverb or a noun again.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “charming”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.