Adjacent Words

Attentive definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ATTENT'IVE, a.
Heedful; intent; observant; regarding with care. It is applied to the senses of hearing and seeing, as an attentive ear or eye; to the application of the mind, as in contemplation; or to the application of the mind, together with the senses abovementioned, as when a person is attentive to the words, the manner and matter of a speaker at the same time.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (often followed by `to') giving care or attention; "attentive to details"; "the nurse was attentive to her patient"; "an attentive suitor" [ant: inattentive]
2: taking heed; giving close and thoughtful attention; "heedful of the warnings"; "so heedful a writer"; "heedful of what they were doing" [syn: heedful, attentive, thoughtful, paying attention] [ant: heedless, unheeding]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 14th century 1. mindful, observant <attentive to what he is doing> 2. heedful of the comfort of others ; solicitous <an attentive waitress> 3. offering attentions in or as if in the role of a suitor • attentively adverb • attentiveness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 concentrating; paying attention. 2 assiduously polite. 3 heedful. Derivatives: attentively adv. attentiveness n. Etymology: ME f. F attentif -ive f. attente, OF atente, fem. past part. of atendre ATTEND

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Attentive At*ten"tive ([a^]t*t[e^]n"t[i^]v), a. [Cf. F. attentif.] 1. Heedful; intent; observant; regarding with care or attention. Note: Attentive is applied to the senses of hearing and seeing, as, an attentive ear or eye; to the application of the mind, as in contemplation; or to the application of the mind, in every possible sense, as when a person is attentive to the words, and to the manner and matter, of a speaker at the same time. 2. Heedful of the comfort of others; courteous. Syn: Heedful; intent; observant; mindful; regardful; circumspect; watchful. -- At*ten"tive*ly, adv. -- At*ten"tive*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you are attentive, you are paying close attention to what is being said or done. He wishes the government would be more attentive to detail in their response. ADJ • attentively He questioned Chrissie, and listened attentively to what she told him. ADV: usu ADV after v 2. Someone who is attentive is helpful and polite. At society parties he is attentive to his wife... ADJ: oft ADJ to n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Mindful, heedful, observant, careful, thoughtful, regardful, awake, alive, alert, wide awake, on the alert, on the lookout, wary, circumspect, watchful. 2. Sedulous, assiduous, diligent, careful, respectful, deferential.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodating, accommodative, accurate, advertent, affable, agile, agog, agreeable, alert, alive, all ears, all eyes, assiduous, attenuate, awake, aware, bright, cap in hand, careful, cautious, ceremonious, circumspect, civil, close, complaisant, concentrated, concentrating, conscientious, conscious, considerate, correct, courteous, courtly, critical, curious, deferential, delicate, demanding, detailed, diligent, dutiful, eager, earnest, exact, exacting, exigent, exquisite, fair, fine, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy, gallant, graceful, gracious, heedful, helpful, honorific, indulgent, intense, intent, intentive, interested, keen, lenient, listening, loving, meticulous, mindful, mindful of others, minute, narrow, nice, niggling, nimble, obliging, observant, observing, on the, on the alert, on the ball, on the job, open-eared, open-eyed, openmouthed, particular, polite, precise, precisianistic, precisionistic, prompt, punctilious, punctual, qui vive, quick, ready, reedy, refined, regardful, religious, respectful, rigid, rigorous, scrupulous, scrutinizing, sharp, sleepless, slender, slight, slim, smart, solicitous, strict, subtle, tactful, tender, tenuous, thoughtful, tolerant, twiggy, unblinking, unnodding, unsleeping, unwinking, urbane, wakeful, watchful, wide-awake