fetching
adjective

- very attractive, charming

American Heritage Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "fetching" derives from the verb "fetch," which comes from Old English fecc(e)an or feccan, meaning "to bring, obtain, or bring back" (12th century onwards).

By the mid-17th century, "fetching" began to be used figuratively to describe something that "catches" or "attracts" attention or interest—something that metaphorically "fetches" or draws someone in. By the 18th century, it had established its current meaning of "attractive" or "appealing"

The semantic development is interesting because it implies something that has the power to "bring" or "draw" someone toward it—suggesting an active quality rather than passive beauty. The term carries a sense of magnetic charm or allure.

The word maintains a slightly old-fashioned or genteel quality in modern English; e.g. “She wore a fetching dress" (appealing, attractive), "His fetching smile won over the crowd" (captivating, enchanting).

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FETCHING QUOTES

Which do you find most fetching?

-  "Elegance is the only beauty that never fades." — Audrey Hepburn

-  "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society." — Mark Twain

-  "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." —William Shakespeare (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

-  "Outer beauty attracts, but inner beauty captivates." — Kate Angelli

-  "There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament." — Henry Van Dyke

-  “The paradox of attraction is that we make the biggest impression when we're not trying to make an impression." — Adam Grant

-  "What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful." — Scott Westerfeld

-  "Your eyes pulled me in before I knew I was drowning." — Unknown

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SYNONYMS

adorable, alluring, appealing, as pretty as a picture, attractive, beautiful, beckoning, becoming, beguiling, bewitching, bonny, breathtaking, captivating, catching, charming, comely, cute (as a button), darling, dazzling, delectable, delightful, dishy, divine, drop-dead gorgeous, enchanting, enthralling, enticing, entrancing, FETCHING, fine-looking, foxy, glamorous, handsome, heavenly, lovely, pretty (as a peach, as a picture), pulchritudinous, resplendent, sightly, smashing, spellbinding, stunning, sweet, winning, winsome

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Which of these outfits do you find the most FETCHING?”

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