- present participle of intrigue.
intriguing
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Intriguing things or people arouse curiosity and have an indescribable draw. If you find the night sky intriguing and enjoy pondering the limitlessness of the universe, you should consider becoming an astronomer. When this adjective was first recorded in the 1600’s, anything intriguing had something to do with “tricking, deceiving, or cheating.” It wasn't until much later that intriguing lost its sinister sense and became simply a word to describe something with alluring mystery. Synonyms for intriguing run the gamut from captivating and delightful to riveting and titillating.
Vocabulary lists containing intriguing
Walk Two Moons
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12 More Interesting Ways to Say "interesting"
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Pay Attention! Synonyms for "Interesting"
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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.
He’s willing to place intriguing romantic possibilities in Wendy’s path that she obliviously kicks out of the way, making the point that love is capricious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
He was intriguing to me because he seems like he perhaps really believes that he’s doing it right.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
Perhaps the more intriguing new paper comes from Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Ricardo Caballero, who talks about a safe-debt Laffer Curve.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
It would have been intriguing to be a fly on the wall in the directors' box at Anfield.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
But as soon as we ask why this is so, we face some intriguing problems.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
