sex appeal
8 synonyms for sex appeal, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The quality of being sexually attractive to others, whether from looks, manner, voice or confidence.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The quality of being sexually attractive to others, whether from looks, manner, voice or confidence.
“He has a scruffy, unbothered sex appeal that photographs badly and works in person.”
How to use sex appeal
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
oozes sex appeal
raw sex appeal
lacks sex appeal
Neutral and printable; standard in journalism and advertising, not vulgar.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sex appeal and beauty?
Beauty is about how someone looks and can be admired from a distance without any pull. Sex appeal is about the response they provoke, which is why plenty of conventionally beautiful people have little of it and plenty of ordinary-looking people have a great deal.
Can you develop sex appeal?
To a degree, yes, since much of it comes from confidence, attentiveness, voice and how someone carries themselves rather than fixed features. It is also partly in the eye of the beholder, so no one has it universally.
Is sex appeal one word or two?
Two words in standard English. It is not hyphenated except occasionally before a noun.
