How do I use the word charm? (2025)

Hi, Fiona. Welcome to the forum.

Yes, you used "were charmed by a gorgeous gem" correctly. If the gem charmed David and Jeremy, they "were charmed by" that gem.

Here, "charmed" should mean something like "attracted and fascinated or hypnotized" by the gem. They may like this gem so much that they become obsessed with it.

People often use "charming" with a much weaker meaning : That outfit you are wearing is charming. = I think your outfit looks nice/attractive.

You are welcome. I added a comment to tell you exactly what "charmed" should mean in your sentence. Is that what you were trying to express with the word "charmed"?

It would be a little misleading if you used "charmed" merely to tell me that they thought the gem looked beautiful.

What do you mean by "attracted", Fiona? "Hypnotize" means something like "to put somebody in a trance" or "to gain control over someone's will".

I expect something more from the verb "charm" than I do from the adjective "charming". If you tell me "David and Jeremy were charmed by a gorgeous gem", it should mean more than "David and Jeremy liked a gorgeous gem".

Here's a similar example from Oxford:

• ‘But I also could not help but be charmed by the book as a whole.’

Most examples have a person or his style, etc. charming other persons.

My apologies, Mr. B. I missed your point earlier.

"Charm" makes some sense, Fiona, in language about somebody's style or personality, but it doesn't really say anything meaningful in your sentence.

When you write "a gorgeous gem", I already know that the gem is beautiful. It doesn't make much sense to tell your readers that Jeremy and David also thought that the gorgeous gem was beautiful.

You can use "charming" as an adjective freely to tell people that you find another person or thing attractive. The adjective has been around for a long time, and it probably sounds old-fashioned to some or many people.

You can use "charm" well as a verb in talk about admiring another person's personality or style. You can use "charm" well in talk about performing magic or hypnotizing somebody.

But it doesn't make much sense to say that a gorgeous gem charmed Jeremy and David. The grammar in your sentence is fine, but your use of the word "charm" is strange.

If you wanted to say that a gorgeous gem cast some sort of spell over Jeremy and David, your sentence would be fine.

Fiona7788 said:

David and Jeremy were charmed by a gorgeous gem.
Is it right?

Click to expand...

It would help if we knew where you were starting from. Were you given the example sentence with the two men and the "gem", or did you think of it by yourself? Your use of the passive "were charmed by..." is perfect.

If you are trying to illustrate the meaning of the verb "charm", a more typical use might be

The two old ladies were charmed by their hotel room, with its comfortable furniture and its mountain view.

The verb "charm" is a little old-fashioned to my ears. If you are charmed by something, you find it very pleasant, in a subdued and gentle kind of way (unless we are talking about magic charms).