What does desirability mean?
Desirability is an abstract noun denoting the quality of being desirable — that is, being attractive, appealing, or worth having or pursuing. It applies across a wide range of contexts: a coastal town may owe its rising house prices to its desirability as a place to live, a brand may cultivate desirability to drive demand for its products, and policymakers may debate the desirability of a particular reform before adopting it. The word is largely neutral and evaluative in tone, appearing frequently in formal registers such as economics, sociology, planning, and business analysis, where it often serves as a measure or criterion rather than a simple compliment. Derived from the verb 'desire' through the adjective 'desirable', it entered English in the early modern period alongside a family of related terms. Its usefulness lies in allowing speakers to discuss appeal and merit objectively — to ask not whether something is liked, but how much it merits wanting.
nounThe quality of being wanted, attractive, or worthwhile; the degree to which something is desirable.
- The quality of being attractive, pleasing, or worth having (e.g. of a person, place, or object).
- The extent to which something is advisable, beneficial, or preferred in practical or moral terms (e.g. the desirability of a policy).
"The desirability of the neighbourhood has driven house prices steadily upward."
"Waterfront views add greatly to a property's desirability."
"The committee debated the desirability of imposing stricter deadlines."
Rarely used in the plural; the singular form is standard even when discussing multiple things, with plurality expressed by context ('their desirability').
"Each candidate was judged on their own particular desirabilities."
Economists literally build 'desirability' into models of choice — if an option isn't desirable, it doesn't even make the menu.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of desirability
Desirability derives from the Latin verb 'desiderare', meaning to long for or wish for, which passed into Old French as 'desirer' and then into Middle English as 'desire'. The adjective 'desirable' formed in English, and the noun 'desirability' was created from it using the Latinate suffix '-ity', which turns adjectives into nouns denoting qualities. Cognates and relatives include 'desirous', 'desideratum' (something wanted or needed), and the archaic 'desiderate'. The word has been in use since roughly the seventeenth century, developing especially in evaluative and philosophical prose.
Related word forms
How desirability is actually used
Desirability is a formal-to-neutral abstract noun, common in academic writing, economics, urban planning, marketing, and public policy. It carries no strong positive or negative connotation on its own; it is often used in evaluative discussion ('the desirability of X'), where the speaker may be weighing rather than asserting merit.
Easily confused with desirability
Desperation is a state of despair or urgent need, whereas desirability is the quality of being attractive or worth wanting — the two are unrelated in meaning despite a superficial sound resemblance.