Pleasing, a.
Giving pleasure or satisfaction; causing agreeable emotion; agreeable; delightful; as, a pleasing prospect; pleasing manners. "Pleasing harmony." Shak. "Pleasing features." Macaulay. -- Pleas"ing*ly, adv. -- Pleas"ing*ness, n.
Syn. -- Gratifying; delightful; agreeable. See Pleasant.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Pleasing, n.
An object of pleasure. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for pleasing; he lists it under amiable, delightful, pleasant.
Where he writes about it:
Kind, good-natured people may be coarse and rude, and so fail to be agreeable or pleasing; the really amiable are likely to avoid such faults by their earnest desire to please. — from amiable
A pleasant face and pleasing manners arouse pleasurable sensations, and make the possessor an agreeable companion; if possessed of intelligence, vivacity, and goodness, such a person's society will be delightful. — from delightful
That is pleasing from which pleasure is received, or may readily be received, without reference to any action or intent in that which confers it; as, a pleasing picture; a pleasing landscape. — from pleasant
Whatever has active qualities adapted to give pleasure is pleasant; as, a pleasant breeze; a pleasant (not a pleasing) day. — from pleasant
A pleasing face has good features, complexion, expression, etc.; a pleasant face indicates a kind heart and an obliging disposition, as well as kindly feelings in actual exercise; we can say of one usually good-natured, "on that occasion he did not meet me with a pleasant face." Pleasant, in the sense of gay, merry, jocose (the sense still retained in pleasantry), is now rare, and would not be understood outside of literary circles. — from pleasant
Synonyms
Antonyms
acrimoniousarrogantausterechurlishcrabbedcruelcrustydepressingdisagreeabledisappointingdispleasingdistressingdoggeddrearyforbiddinggloomyglumgrimgruffharshhatefulhorribleill-conditionedill-humoredill-naturedill-temperedmelancholymiserablemorosemournfuloffensivepainfulrepellentrepellingrepulsivesaddeningsoursullensurlyunamiableunkindunlovelyunpleasantwofulwretched