curiosity
Americannoun
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curiosities
plural
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the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.
The lesson provoked their curiosity about the natural world.
She feels that tolerance is fed by knowledge, an open mind, and curiosity about others.
-
a curious, rare, or novel thing.
Exhibits on display will include such curiosities as preserved smells, infrared briefcases, and cameras hidden in coats.
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a strange, curious, or interesting quality or feature.
How bankers from Nova Scotia set up in the Caribbean in the 1880s is a curiosity of financial history.
One of the human brain's many curiosities is its tendency to see faces in abstract shapes.
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Archaic. carefulness; fastidiousness.
idioms
noun
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an eager desire to know; inquisitiveness
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the quality of being curious; strangeness
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( as modifier )
the ring had curiosity value only
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something strange or fascinating
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a rare or strange object; curio
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obsolete fastidiousness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of curiosity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English curiosite, either from Anglo-French or directly from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōs(us) curious + -itās -ity
Explanation
Curiosity is the urge you feel to know more about something. If you find a diary in a coffee shop, curiosity will make you want to look inside — but respect for the writer's privacy may convince you not to. Curiosity is the state of being curious: inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out. The word used to mean "very, very careful," and only in the last few hundred years turned into a word expressing the desire to know more. Maybe that's because when you're poking around in secret business, you need to be very, very careful. We also call weird things curiosities, like a phone shaped like a duck, or a shark in a jar.
Vocabulary lists containing curiosity
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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"LAFFF"
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We Were Liars
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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.
See Examples For:
Zhu sought out films which touch on the era-defining event, but neither epic romance Summer Palace nor the secretly filmed gay drama Lan Yu could satisfy her curiosity.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Not long ago, she told The Messenger that, overall, she looks back on her career with a sense of curiosity.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The erosion of the beach now has sparked curiosity about what may be buried under the sand and safety concerns for local surfers at the Wedge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Pryor points to behavioral traits including coachability, curiosity, reliability, comfort asking for clarification and the ability to repair a misstep.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
The wandering soul scrutinized Clare in return, her expression moving through surprise, curiosity, discomfort, then—when she spotted his empty eye socket—disgust.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Jenkin puts together his bespoke films like tactile, fragile curiosities — it’s as if the battered reels have been fished out of the water, their origin unknown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
At the bottom of some mezcal bottles sits one of the most recognizable curiosities in the world of spirits: a pale, curled "worm" preserved in alcohol.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026
For a variety of reasons, not least because people have questions, curiosities, comparisons and resentments.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026
With its unusual focus, carried through a swirl of masterworks and little-known curiosities, the book offers a fresh look into the human heart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
He knows and accepts the shameful probing curiosities of human beings.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
