curious
Americanadjective
-
eager to learn or know; inquisitive.
- Synonyms:
- interested, inquiring
- Antonyms:
- indifferent
-
prying; meddlesome.
- Antonyms:
- indifferent
-
arousing or exciting speculation, interest, or attention through being inexplicable or highly unusual; odd; strange.
a curious sort of person;
a curious scene.
-
Archaic.
-
made or prepared skillfully.
-
done with painstaking accuracy or attention to detail.
a curious inquiry.
-
careful; fastidious.
-
marked by intricacy or subtlety.
-
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
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- curiously adverb
- curiousness noun
- noncurious adjective
- noncuriously adverb
- noncuriousness noun
- overcurious adjective
- overcuriously adverb
- overcuriousness noun
- supercurious adjective
- supercuriously adverb
- supercuriousness noun
- uncurious adjective
- uncuriously adverb
Etymology
Origin of curious
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin cūriōsus “careful, inquisitive,” equivalent to cūri- (combining form of cūra “care”) + -ōsus -ous; cure
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.
“Don’t thank me yet,” she said, eyeing him with a curious spark.
From Literature
It was a wild ruckus outside with leaves and branches blowing by and Lulu hiding under the bed trying to pretend she wasn’t scared, just curious about those dust balls.
From Literature
He slogged forward, curious to see where the water came from.
From Literature
"I grew up in a village. We never got books to read, but I was always curious about them. I kept thinking that I should read, gather books and gain knowledge," he told the BBC.
From BBC
The students in the financial literacy program are bright, curious, and motivated.
From MarketWatch
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.
