What does pleasurable mean?
Pleasurable is an adjective meaning that something gives a person pleasure or enjoyment. It is commonly used with experiences, sensations, activities, prospects, and forms of entertainment, as in “a pleasurable evening” or “a pleasurable sense of anticipation.” The word is more formal and literary than the everyday adjective “enjoyable,” and it tends to suggest a positive experience rather than a charming person or a merely agreeable situation. Its emphasis is often on the quality of an experience as rewarding, gratifying, or satisfying. Although “pleasant” can describe both people and things, “pleasurable” is more specifically concerned with the capacity of something to produce enjoyment. In formal writing, it can also describe a prospect or anticipated experience.
adjectivePleasurable means giving pleasure or enjoyment to someone. It describes an experience, sensation, activity, or prospect that is enjoyable.
- Giving pleasure, enjoyment, or gratification.
"The evening walk through the old town was deeply pleasurable."
"The chef prepared a pleasurable combination of sweet and savory flavors."
"A career in public health may be pleasurable as well as financially rewarding."
Pleasurable has a subtle distinction: it emphasizes an experience's capacity to give enjoyment, rather than simply describing a pleasant person or manner.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pleasurable come from?
Pleasurable was formed in English from “pleasure” and the suffix “-able,” meaning capable of being or giving that quality. “Pleasure” itself comes through Old French from Latin “placere,” meaning “to please,” a root also reflected in words such as “please,” “pleasant,” and “displeasure.” The suffix “-able” is a common English word-forming element that turns a noun into an adjective describing something capable of a particular quality.
Related word forms
How pleasurable is actually used
Pleasurable is formal and somewhat literary in contemporary English. It is often used for an experience, sensation, prospect, or form of entertainment, rather than for describing a person's personality.
Easily confused with pleasurable
Pleasurable describes something that gives pleasure or enjoyment, whereas pleasant more often characterizes a person, manner, or general feeling as agreeable or friendly.
Pleasurable is an adjective describing something that produces enjoyment, while pleasure is a noun referring to enjoyment or a source of enjoyment.