The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word WINSOME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
W
I
N
S
O
M
E
More clues leading to the result WINSOME
- Appealing, are not always successful?
- Pretty successful occasionally, if you do this?
- Lose occasionally then? That’s fair
- What Victor will do, a bit charming
- Appealing, be successful occasionally?
- Charming setter wearing women’s pants
- Attractive twins come to repudiate origins
- Success not all fair
- Fetching a few following victory
- Attractive females mostly admitting sin naughtily
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Captivating" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case captivating = winsome.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does WINSOME mean?
WINSOME adjective- Charming, engaging, winning; inspiring approval and trust, especially if in an innocent manner.