- present participle of fascinate.
fascinating
Americanadjective
adjective
-
arousing great interest
-
enchanting or alluring
a fascinating woman
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of fascinating
First recorded in 1640–50; fascinat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Something fascinating really captures your interest: you can't take your eyes off it or can't wait to learn more about it. To a sports fan, a basketball game may be fascinating, including the smallest details, like who got the most assists and what kind of defense was played. Music fans find concerts fascinating. Many people think politics is fascinating — they can't get enough TV and magazine stories about the latest political events. Whatever you think is fascinating, it must really hold your attention: you always want to see and know more.
Vocabulary lists containing fascinating
12 More Interesting Ways to Say "interesting"
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Pay Attention! Synonyms for "Interesting"
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And, 31 years after her first professional match, this was the latest fascinating adventure for the iconic American.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
He also has a personal stake in Jack’s reclamation, which gives the series a fascinating and pathos-filled LGBTQ-history subtext.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
One fascinating thread follows energy-fertilizer-food transmission chains throughout history, concluding that what people thought was a financial shock in 2008 was also linked to energy and fertilizer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
"Animal navigation is one of the most fascinating phenomena in nature," says Wikelski.
From Science Daily • May 31, 2026
“It must have been fascinating, to rub elbows with all the glorious flower of elfin nobility and knighthood.”
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
