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curious

[ kyoor-ee-uhs ]
/ ˈkyʊər i əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR curious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

eager to learn or know; inquisitive.
prying; meddlesome.
arousing or exciting speculation, interest, or attention through being inexplicable or highly unusual; odd; strange: a curious sort of person; a curious scene.
Archaic.
  1. made or prepared skillfully.
  2. done with painstaking accuracy or attention to detail: a curious inquiry.
  3. careful; fastidious.
  4. marked by intricacy or subtlety.

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Words related to curious

inquisitive, interested, exotic, unusual, puzzling, remarkable, peculiar, extraordinary, strange, mysterious, wonderful, weird, unique, bizarre, analytical, impertinent, inquiring, intrusive, meddlesome, meddling

Words nearby curious

curie-weiss law, curio, curiosa, curiosity, curiosity killed the cat, curious, curite, curitiba, curium, curl, curl one's hair

Origin of curious

1275–1325; Middle English < Latin cūriōsus careful, inquisitive, equivalent to cūri- (combining form of cūra care) + -ōsus -ous. See cure

SYNONYMS FOR curious

1 inquiring, interested.
2 spying, peeping.
3 singular, novel, rare.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR curious ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM curious

synonym study for curious

2. Curious, inquisitive, meddlesome, prying refer to taking an undue (and petty) interest in others' affairs. Curious implies a desire to know what is not properly one's concern: curious about a neighbor's habits. Inquisitive implies asking impertinent questions in an effort to satisfy curiosity: inquisitive about a neighbor's habits. Meddlesome implies thrusting oneself into and taking an active part in other people's affairs entirely unasked and unwelcomed: a meddlesome cousin who tries to run the affairs of a family. Prying implies a meddlesome and persistent inquiring into others' affairs: a prying reporter inquiring into the secrets of a business firm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curious

British Dictionary definitions for curious

curious
/ (ˈkjʊərɪəs) /

adjective

eager to learn; inquisitive
overinquisitive; prying
interesting because of oddness or novelty; strange; unexpected
rare (of workmanship, etc) highly detailed, intricate, or subtle
obsolete fastidious or hard to please

Derived forms of curious

curiously, adverbcuriousness, noun

Word Origin for curious

C14: from Latin cūriōsus taking pains over something, from cūra care
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