- present participle of captivate.
captivating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of captivating
First recorded in 1670–80; captivat(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
The adjective captivating describes something that's completely enthralling and holds your attention. You might find a marathon of episodes of a TV show so captivating that you forget to eat dinner. When people are captivating, they're often very intelligent, attractive, charming, or otherwise fascinating. Something that catches and holds your interest is captivating, like a captivating mystery novel you just can't put down. In fact, this adjective comes from the Latin captivatus, "to take or capture," and early in its use, captivating had that literal meaning. Now it's only used to mean capturing interest.
Vocabulary lists containing captivating
A Doll's House
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Pay Attention! Synonyms for "Interesting"
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The Tale of Despereaux
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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.
What makes the nine songs captivating are the music, the vocals and how the material is organized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The film grossed $270 million worldwide on a $38 million budget, and Amy Madigan won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance as the equal-parts creepy and captivating witch Gladys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Matt Hudson-Smith was fifth in the 400m, well off Botswana's world champion Collen Kebinatshipi, while Jake Hayward, running in his Wales vest, was eighth in a captivating 1500m race.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
A captivating, welcoming and family-friendly space, with some jaw-dropping views, a cafe and a gorgeous rooftop fine-dining restaurant, not to mention an 11-acre garden, dotted with statuary and fountains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
He stood more than six feet tall and was a captivating lecturer.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
