pleasing

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpliːzɪŋ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈplizɪŋ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːzɪŋ

Etymology 1

From Middle English plesynge, pleizinge, plesende (present participle), equivalent to please +‎ -ing.

Adjective

pleasing (comparative more pleasing, superlative most pleasing)

1. Agreeable; giving pleasure, cheer, enjoyment or gratification.
   • 1950 December, H. C. Casserley, “Locomotive Cavalcade, 1920-1950—6”, in Railway Magazine, page 843:

     These two designs were neat and handsome, by modern standards, and very pleasing in appearance.

   • 1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, pages 250–251:

     Elegant brick and stone buildings, with iron and glass canopies and decorative wooden scalloping and fencing—all evidencing care on the part of the architect to produce a pleasing, well-planned building—were submerged beneath a profusion of ill-conceived additions and camouflaged by vulgar paint schemes; and the original conception was lost.

Synonyms

• enjoyable
• gratifying
• satisfying

Derived terms

• pleasing fungus beetle
• pleasing lacewing
• pleasing on the eye
• pleasing to the eye
• self-pleasing

 

Related terms

• pleasance
• pleasant
• pleasantly
• pleasantness
• please
• pleasurable
• pleasurably
• pleasure

 

Translations

giving pleasure

• Arabic: سَارّ (ar) (sārr)
• Bulgarian: прия́тен (bg) (prijáten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愉快 (zh) (yúkuài)

• French: plaisant (fr)
• Georgian: სასიამოვნო (sasiamovno)
• German: angenehm (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀρεστός (arestós)

• Hungarian: kellemes (hu)
• Irish: taitneamhach
• Japanese: 楽しい (ja) (たのしい, tanoshii)
• Latin: placens (la), placitus, venustus
• Macedonian: при́јатен (príjaten), до́падлив (dópadliv)
• Middle English: wynsom
• Polish: przyjemny (pl), miły (pl)
• Portuguese: agradável (pt)
• Romanian: agreabil (ro), plăcut (ro)
• Russian: прия́тный (ru) (prijátnyj)
• Sanskrit: गूर्त (sa) (gūrta)
• Scottish Gaelic: tlachdmhor
• Spanish: grato (es)
• Turkish: hoş (tr)

Verb

pleasing

1. present participle and gerund of please.

Etymology 2

From Middle English plesing, plesinge (“satisfaction; pleasing”), equivalent to please +‎ -ing.

Noun

pleasing (countable and uncountable, plural pleasings)

1. pleasure or satisfaction, as in the phrase "to someone's pleasing."
   • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Passion of our Blessed Saviour”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

     What more palpable confutation can there be of human vanity and arrogance, of all lofty imaginations, all presumptuous confidences, all turgid humours, all fond self-pleasings and self-admirings, than is that tragical cross […]

Derived terms

• self-pleasing

Anagrams

• apelings, elapsing, leapings, pealings