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Prepositions after adjectives

welcoming of or welcoming to?

Welcoming to is the common modern pattern for describing how friendly a place or person feels. Welcoming of appears in more formal expressions about attitudes toward people or ideas.

Quick answer

Which pattern is more common?

Use welcoming to when describing how a person, place, or atmosphere treats others: The staff were welcoming to visitors. Welcoming of is more formal and usually appears before nouns such as attitude or approach.

The hotel was welcoming to guests.
They are welcoming to newcomers.
The city has a welcoming attitude toward immigrants.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
welcoming to + people

Describing friendly behaviour toward others

To introduces the people receiving a warm or friendly response.

The community is welcoming to students.
2
welcoming environment

Describing an atmosphere

Welcoming often appears without a following preposition.

They created a welcoming environment.
3
welcoming of + noun

Formal descriptions of attitudes

Welcoming of is formal and usually modifies abstract nouns such as attitude or culture.

The organisation encourages a welcoming of diverse opinions.
4
welcoming toward + group

Alternative formal wording

Toward can express attitude in formal contexts.

The policy is welcoming toward refugees.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
welcoming to
The café is welcoming to families.
Friendly or comfortable for a group of people.
welcoming of
Her welcoming of new ideas impressed the team.
Formal expression meaning acceptance or openness.
welcoming toward
The town was welcoming toward tourists.
Formal alternative focused on attitude.
welcoming with
They greeted us with welcoming smiles.
With introduces accompanying details, not a fixed adjective pattern.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using welcoming of in everyday descriptions

Welcoming to sounds more natural for people and places.

✕ The restaurant is welcoming of tourists. ✓ The restaurant is welcoming to tourists.

Confusing welcoming with welcomed

Welcoming describes the host, while welcomed describes the guest's feeling.

✕ I felt very welcoming there. ✓ I felt very welcomed there.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The school is very welcoming ___ international students.
2. Her welcoming ___ criticism helped the discussion.
3. They created a ___ atmosphere.

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Frequently asked questions

Is welcoming of correct?

Yes, but it is formal and less common than welcoming to.

Can welcoming describe places?

Yes. A welcoming hotel or welcoming city feels friendly and comfortable.

What is the difference between welcoming and friendly?

Welcoming often suggests making people feel accepted when they arrive.

warm-in-up-for-to, with wary of, about or in? weak in, on, at, for or from? wealthy in, of, by, from or with? weary of, from, in, with or about? wedded to, by, for, in or into? weekly for, in, on, with or to? weird for, to, about, in or with? "welcome to" or "welcome in"? "well-known for" or "well-known in"? well-received by, in, at, among or with? "well-suited to" or "well-suited for"?

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