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

Example Sentences

Those financial hedges remain mostly a curiosity for now.

From Barron's

Organizations that mistake anxiety for urgency tend to get compliance for employees instead of curiosity.

From MarketWatch

Well, Wild London is abundant with animal curiosities: from pigeons hopping on to the Hammersmith and City line to a snake colony by a canal.

From BBC

We’re constantly reminded about the Founding Fathers’ hypocrisy on the matter of liberty, for example, but in a way that feeds curiosity about this American experiment of ours, not shame.

From Salon

The phenomenon has sparked curiosity and confusion in the literary world and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• concern
• inquisitiveness
• interest