curiosity

[ kyoor-ee-os-i-tee ]
See synonyms for curiosity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural cu·ri·os·i·ties.
  1. the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.

  2. a curious, rare, or novel thing.

  1. a strange, curious, or interesting quality.

  2. Archaic. carefulness; fastidiousness.

Origin of curiosity

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English curiosite, from Anglo-French or directly from Latin cūriōsitā; see curious, -ity

Other words from curiosity

  • non·cu·ri·os·i·ty, noun
  • o·ver·cu·ri·os·i·ty, noun

Words Nearby curiosity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curiosity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for curiosity

curiosity

/ (ˌkjʊərɪˈɒsɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. an eager desire to know; inquisitiveness

    • the quality of being curious; strangeness

    • (as modifier): the ring had curiosity value only

  1. something strange or fascinating

  2. a rare or strange object; curio

  3. obsolete fastidiousness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012