curiosity

[kyoor-ee-os-i-tee]

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.

curiosity

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• noncuriosity noun
• overcuriosity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of curiosity¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English curiosite, either from Anglo-French or directly from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōs(us) curious + -itās -ity

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Since their debut in 2017, the band have approached music with a combination of curiosity and hunger, constantly pushing their sound in new directions.

From BBC

In the trailer, the titular Bride is the unknowing product of Frank and the doctor’s dark scheme, alternating between loyal naivete to her companion and a lingering curiosity about where she comes from.

From Los Angeles Times

Hawke doesn’t overload their delicate dances or any of his other scene partnerships with an insistence on pulling the spotlight, true to his character’s unspoken self-regard as a guide who happens to investigate his curiosities.

From Salon

In a state of exhaustion, my curiosity piqued.

From Salon

The honor is not an end point — it’s an invitation to keep pushing, questioning, expanding one’s curiosity and access, and broadening the understanding of who belongs in artistic and cultural spaces.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• concern 
• inquisitiveness 
• interest