pleasing

English

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (GA)

  (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.
   • 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

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)
• Japanese: 楽しい (ja) (たのしい, tanoshii)

• Latin: placens, placitus, venustus
• 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: hoşnut (tr)

Verb

pleasing

1. present participle 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 my pleasing."
   • a. 1677, Isaac Barrow, The Passion of our Blessed Saviour (sermon)

     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 […]

Anagrams

• apelings, elapsing, leapings, pealings