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.
As mentioned, Mr. Eberhardt is so captivating as the jovial, word-drunk Mercutio that he draws our attention whenever he’s onstage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
By contrast, “Liberation,” which was directed with captivating brio by Whitney White, left no doubts about the exceptional quality of the writing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
If the internet rumor mill is to be believed, there’s no way that 20-year-old Kane Parsons actually directed his captivating debut feature, “Backrooms.”
From Salon • May 30, 2026
A captivating obituary doesn’t just summarize one’s life.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
On the contrary, he had all the captivating ways of a frolicsome kitten.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
