prepossessing

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
18
Words With Friends
22
Letters
13

Definition of prepossessing

3 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence, favor, esteem, or love; attractive
    “"I am a great advocate for timidity—and I am sure one does not often meet with it.—But in those who are at all inferior, it is extremely prepossessing."”
    “Our curate is a young gentleman of such prepossessing appearance, and fascinating manners, that within one month after his first appearance in the parish, half the young-lady inhabitants were melancholy with religion, and the other half, desponding with love.”
    “These natural graces in the quadroon are often united with beauty of the most dazzling kind, and in almost every case with a personal appearance prepossessing and agreeable.”
    “In repose the faces of the men were intelligent and dignified, those of the women ofttimes prepossessing.”
    “He was a frank, prepossessing fellow, but I saw that he could add nothing to his original account.”
See all 3 definitions

adj

  1. Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence, favor, esteem, or love; attractive
    “"I am a great advocate for timidity—and I am sure one does not often meet with it.—But in those who are at all inferior, it is extremely prepossessing."”
    “Our curate is a young gentleman of such prepossessing appearance, and fascinating manners, that within one month after his first appearance in the parish, half the young-lady inhabitants were melancholy with religion, and the other half, desponding with love.”
    “These natural graces in the quadroon are often united with beauty of the most dazzling kind, and in almost every case with a personal appearance prepossessing and agreeable.”
    “In repose the faces of the men were intelligent and dignified, those of the women ofttimes prepossessing.”
    “He was a frank, prepossessing fellow, but I saw that he could add nothing to his original account.”
  2. (archaic)Causing prejudice.

verb

  1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of prepossess

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From prepossess + -ing. Attested in 1610s with the meaning of "getting possession of (ground or land) beforehand". The meaning "to possess (a person) beforehand with a feeling, notion, etc." developed in 1630s, acquiring by the 40s of the same century the meaning of "to cause (someone) to have a favorable opinion of something, preoccupy the mind or heart of".

Words you can make from prepossessing

200+ playable · top: REPOSSESSING (15 pts)

Best play repossessing 15 points

11-letter words

2 words

10-letter words

8 words

9-letter words

20 words

8-letter words

39 words

7-letter words

106 words

6-letter words

24 words

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