Meaning & use
inviting
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Pleasant and attractive in a way that makes people want to come in, try it or take part.
Grammar: Can follow very or more: a very inviting room, a more inviting offer.
Patterns
- look inviting
- sound inviting
- an inviting place
The cool, clear lake looked very inviting after the long hike.
She gave him an inviting smile and moved her bag off the seat.
The smell of fresh bread coming from the bakery was irresistibly inviting.
verbtransitive
Asking someone to come to an event or place, or to take part in something.
Grammar: Present participle of invite, so it needs an object: inviting my cousins, not just inviting.
Patterns
- inviting someone to something
- inviting someone to do something
We are inviting everyone on the street to the summer party.
He kept inviting me to join the chess club.
The school is inviting parents to visit the classrooms next week.
Word forms
| comparative | more inviting |
|---|---|
| superlative | most inviting |
Common combinations
- look inviting
- The warm kitchen looked inviting on such a cold night.
- an inviting smile
- The host greeted us with an inviting smile.
- inviting atmosphere
- The café has a relaxed, inviting atmosphere.
- far from inviting
- The dark, damp cellar was far from inviting.
- inviting prospect
- A week by the sea is an inviting prospect after months of work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- appealing
- Appealing is broader and can describe any attractive idea or thing, while inviting suggests a place or offer that draws you in.
- welcoming
- Welcoming describes a place or person that makes visitors feel accepted, whereas inviting also covers things that merely tempt you.
- tempting
- Tempting often carries a hint that you should resist, but inviting is purely positive.
- enticing
- Enticing is stronger and more seductive than inviting, which is gentler and more everyday.
Opposites
Word family
- invite verb
- to ask someone to come or take part
- invitation noun
- a request to attend, or a message that makes the request
- invitingly adverb
- in a way that attracts or welcomes
- uninviting adjective
- unattractive and not tempting
Commonly confused: inviting or invited?
inviting vs invited
Invited just means someone was asked to come, while inviting describes how attractive something seems.
Practice
After a day in the heat, the shaded garden with its cold lemonade looked very ____.
Choose one answer.
Inviting is the adjective meaning attractive and tempting. Invited would mean that someone had been asked, which describes people rather than the garden.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inviting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.