attracted

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of attract.

   The festival attracted visitors from across the region.

   The theory has attracted scrutiny from several researchers.

   Note

   One spelling does double duty: it is the simple past (the festival attracted crowds) and also the participle after have or be (has attracted, was attracted). Every meaning of attract carries over, from the pull of a magnet to the less obvious one of incurring something. A proposal that attracted criticism drew that criticism without ever seeking it.

2. 2
   adjective

   Feeling a strong pull toward someone or something, often out of interest, desire, or admiration.

   He was strongly attracted to her sharp sense of humor.

   Investors remain attracted to companies that show steady, reliable growth.

   Similardrawn, interested, captivated, enamored

   Oppositeindifferent, uninterested, averse

   Note

   Being drawn becomes a state here, and the state can be graded: more attracted, most attracted, very attracted. It usually takes to before its object. That gradability is the quickest way to tell it from the past participle in a passive. Iron was attracted by the magnet names an action and its cause, while she was very attracted to him describes a feeling.

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