pleasing

adj, noun — 2 senses

pleasing

adj

UK /ˈpliːzɪŋ/ · US /ˈplizɪŋ/

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

1

Agreeable; giving pleasure, cheer, enjoyment or gratification.

  • These two designs were neat and handsome, by modern standards, and very pleasing in appearance.1950 December, H. C. Casserley, “Locomotive Cavalcade, 1920-1950—6”, in Railway Magazine, page 843:
  • 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.1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, pages 250–251:
Synonyms
enjoyable, gratifying, satisfying, glad
Derived terms
impleasing, pleasing fungus beetle, pleasing lacewing, pleasingly, pleasingness, pleasing on the eye, pleasing to the eye, self-pleasing, unpleasing
Related terms
pleasance, pleasant, pleasantly, pleasantness, please, pleasurable, pleasurably, pleasure

pleasing

noun

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

1

pleasure or satisfaction, as in the phrase "to someone's pleasing."

  • 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 […]a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:
Derived terms
people-pleasing, self-pleasing

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.