captivate
Americanverb
-
to hold the attention of by fascinating; enchant
-
an obsolete word for capture
Other Word Forms
- captivatingly adverb
- captivation noun
- captivative adjective
- captivator noun
- uncaptivated adjective
- uncaptivative adjective
Etymology
Origin of captivate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin captīvātus (past participle of captīvāre “to take captive”), equivalent to Latin captīv(us) captive + -ātus -ate 1
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.
French actress Brigitte Bardot, who has died aged 91, arguably redefined cinematic allure, captivating the world as a 1950s screen icon.
From BBC
"We're trying to balance that contest between bat and ball throughout, over the four or five days, to provide that captivating Test for all," he said.
From Barron's
She remembers being captivated by the “beautiful dissonance” in his music.
From Los Angeles Times
Her disappearance captivated and confounded true crime watchers around the nation as FBI investigators and armchair detectives alike tried to solve the puzzle of what happened to Melodee.
From Los Angeles Times
A falconer captivated by the natural sciences, he once considered becoming a wildlife illustrator.
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.
