1The action or power of evoking interest in or liking for someone or something.
‘the timeless attraction of a good tune’
‘she has very romantic ideas about sexual attraction’
‘Platonic love is devoid of any physical attraction or sexual interest.’
‘These can express everything from sexual attraction to intellectual or physical dominance.’
‘No, it was probably only baseless physical, sexual attraction.’
‘This was physical attraction, sexual temptation, nothing more.’
‘I did everything in my power to resist his attraction.’
‘There is no physical contact or obvious sexual attraction in the bath scene.’
‘Regardless, it raises interesting questions concerning the ways in which sexual attraction is bound up with aspirations.’
‘Men, on the other hand, more frequently replied that sexual attraction was a prime reason for initiating a friendship, and that it could even deepen a friendship.’
‘Because of course pheromones, as you probably already know, stimulate sexual attraction.’
‘Although he embraced his sexuality more than the others, physical attraction was lacking.’
‘In acknowledging its attraction we diminish its power.’
‘The power of attraction will only have a chance to work though, if the other partner is open minded and willing to consider something new.’
‘He had never met the man, but already he could sense his power, his attraction.’
‘The attraction of political power is said to have reconciled his alienated parental family.’
‘I'm thinking today about the nature of sexual attraction.’
‘We discuss sexual attraction and relationships.’
‘The way I feel about her goes way beyond physical attraction.’
‘Pheromones trigger basic responses, such as sexual attraction.’
‘Things I want in a relationship: intelligence, physical attraction, reciprocal love.’
‘As human beings we cannot deny our attraction to anything sexual.’
appeal, attractiveness, desirability, seductiveness, seduction, allure, allurement, magnetism, animal magnetism, sexual magnetism, charisma, charm, beauty, good looks, glamour, magic, spell
1.3Physics A force under the influence of which objects tend to move towards each other.
‘gravitational attraction’
‘As an exercise you might try computing the electrostatic attraction between an electron and a proton and compare it with the gravitational attraction.’
‘Gravitational forces of attraction always exist between two objects of any mass, but it takes an object as large as a planet for this force to become noticeable.’
‘The gravitational attraction between the two might follow a force law that differs from Newton's law of gravity.’
‘The second force, which balances the gravitational attraction, is known as the centripetal force.’
‘As its name suggests, this is a powerful force of attraction that operates between all protons and neutrons.’
‘Of course, while atoms interact via well defined forces of attraction and repulsion, people are seldom so straightforward.’
‘The electrical attraction between a proton and an electron is forty powers of ten stronger than their gravitational attraction.’
‘Black holes are objects for which the gravitational attraction is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it.’
‘The forces of attraction between ions in an ionic compound are very strong.’
‘This electrostatic attraction, called an ionic bond, is much weaker than a covalent bond of shared electrons.’
‘He attributed gravitation to the forces of mutual attraction between material objects.’
‘But gravitational attraction depends on distance and mass.’
‘In science, Newton's laws for falling objects were based on the concept of gravitational attraction.’
‘The energy of attraction between protons and neutrons is about a million times greater than the chemical binding energy between atoms.’
1.4Grammar The influence exerted by one word on another which causes it to change to an incorrect form, e.g. the wages of sin is (for are) death.
Origin
Late Middle English (denoting the action of a poultice in drawing matter from the tissues): from Latin attractio(n-), from the verb attrahere (see attract).
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