curiosity

American  

[kyoor-ee-os-i-tee] / ˌkyʊər iˈɒs ɪ ti /

noun

plural

curiosities

1. 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.

2. a curious, rare, or novel thing.

   Exhibits on display will include such curiosities as preserved smells, infrared briefcases, and cameras hidden in coats.

3. 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.

4. Archaic. carefulness; fastidiousness.

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idioms

1. curiosity killed the cat, being too inquisitive is dangerous.

   I'd really like to know what's going on in the boss's head, but then, curiosity killed the cat.

curiosity British  

/ ˌkjʊərɪˈɒsɪtɪ /

noun

1. an eager desire to know; inquisitiveness

2. 1. the quality of being curious; strangeness

   2. ( as modifier )

      the ring had curiosity value only

3. something strange or fascinating

4. a rare or strange object; curio

5. obsolete fastidiousness

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Other Word Forms

• noncuriosity noun
• overcuriosity noun

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.

Example Sentences

That freedom has allowed me to kind of come in and out of different subsets within architecture, and really handle my curiosity.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

There was curiosity, yes, but no one guessed it would be must-see viewing.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

This is a semiregular act of morbid curiosity, not a sound investment strategy.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The man’s curiosity and industriousness are equally impressive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“But I can never resist a quick browse through a curiosity shop.”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• concern
• inquisitiveness
• interest