fascinate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to attract and hold attentively by a unique power, personal charm, unusual nature, or some other special quality; enthrall.
His natural vivacity fascinates and dominates his audience, leading them wherever he will.
-
to arouse the interest or curiosity of.
As I learned about ancient Egyptian religion, I found elements that fascinated me.
-
to transfix or deprive of the power of resistance, as through terror.
The sight of the snake fascinated the rabbit.
-
Obsolete. to bewitch.
-
Obsolete. to cast under a spell by a look.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to attract and delight by arousing interest or curiosity
his stories fascinated me for hours
-
to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
-
archaic to put under a spell
Usage
A person can be fascinated by or with another person or thing. It is correct to speak of someone's fascination with a person or thing; one can also say a person or thing has a fascination for someone
Other Word Forms
- fascinatedly adverb
- fascination noun
- fascinative adjective
Etymology
Origin of fascinate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin fascinātus, past participle of fascināre “to bewitch, cast a spell on,” verbal derivative of fascinum “evil spell, bewitchment”
Explanation
Anything that sparks your interest or makes you wonder has the ability to fascinate. If you catch someone's interest, and then hold it, you fascinate them. Be careful. The word fascinate actually comes from Latin and French words meaning "witchcraft," and although these days fascinate is used under much tamer circumstances, there is some sense in the word that the person's appeal is not quite normal: there might be a spell-like quality to his or her charms. Thus, the word is often used to describe a new love. On the other hand, you might find the study of exotic beetles fascinating. To each his own.
Vocabulary lists containing fascinate
Woman Hollering Creek
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lessons 2–3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The family continues to fascinate the American psyche several decades and generations later.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
But the subject also appears to fascinate him.
From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025
"Reconstructing these events means bringing to life ancient and vanished scenarios, revealing a world where humans, animals, and ecosystems interacted in ways that still surprise and fascinate us today."
From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025
Yet these seeming incongruities of musical life are what fascinate the most.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025
These and other discoveries add details, which continue to fascinate me, to our understanding of how agriculture’s rise triggered the rise of agriculturally based complex societies in the ancient world.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
