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Synonyms

fascinating

American  
[fas-uh-ney-ting] / ˈfæs əˌneɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

  1. of great interest or attraction; enchanting; charming; captivating.

    a fascinating story;

    fascinating jewelry.
fascinating British  
/ ˈfæsɪˌneɪtɪŋ /

adjective

  1. arousing great interest

  2. enchanting or alluring

    a fascinating woman
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • fascinatingly adverb
  • half-fascinating adjective
  • half-fascinatingly adverb
  • quasi-fascinating adjective
  • quasi-fascinatingly adverb
  • unfascinating adjective

Etymology

Origin of fascinating

First recorded in 1640–50; fascinat(e) + -ing 2

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.

Squid and cuttlefish are among the ocean's most fascinating animals, known for their color-changing skin and jet-like movement.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

It would be fascinating to know whom she went on to vote for in 2020 and 2024.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Costing A$136,000, the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture's designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was "massive, lumbering and fascinating".

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

“The high desert has a fascinating blend of hippie and libertarian sensibilities,” he wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

This was all quite fascinating for the general spectator, but Bobby Fischer hadn’t come to look at chess sets.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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.