fascinated
Americanadjective
-
having the attention attracted and held by a person or thing having unique power or charm, unusual character, etc.; enthralled or captivated.
The nature trail guide opened one of the boxes to let the fascinated onlookers view two baby bluebirds inside.
-
strongly interested or intrigued by something.
I'm speaking now not as a lawyer, just as a fascinated observer of mankind.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fascinated
Explanation
When you're fascinated, you're hypnotized, mesmerized, spellbound, and transfixed — totally absorbed by something. There are two ways to be fascinated: You can be fascinated by something happening right now, like an interesting new video game you're playing. Other fascinations are more long term, like a scientist who devotes his life to studying birds because he's fascinated by them. Things that make you fascinated have to be so interesting and so intriguing that it feels like they have a magic grip on your attention span.
Vocabulary lists containing fascinated
Maniac Magee
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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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.
As a health journalist, I was fascinated by this transformation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Both explored new directions in jazz and became fascinated with Indian spirituality.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Lambert, the company’s chief product officer, is fascinated by the new markets that could open up if AI agents rise in popularity and start making all sorts of transactions.
From MarketWatch • May 25, 2026
He became fascinated with crystals and their healing properties, he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Béroud was especially fascinated by the copyists of the Louvre.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
