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.
She said the feedback only anchored her belief in the story, but also meant the production needed to capitalize on the qualities that make a micro-drama captivating — like regular cliffhangers and melodramatic moments.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Plenty of other performers get strong support, including “Seven Kingdoms’ ” 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell, who Lorraine Ali says made his show “a captivating watch.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
"It's a captivating, slyly sophisticated novel," said Natasha Brown, the chair of the judging panel.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The hantavirus outbreak captivating the public began on the MV Hondius, an expedition-style cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, a privately held Dutch company.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
We tell rags-to-riches stories because we find something captivating in the idea of a lone hero battling overwhelming odds.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
