engrossing

[en-groh-sing]

adjective

1. fully occupying the mind or attention; absorbing.

   I'm reading the most engrossing book.

Other Word Forms

• engrossingly adverb
• nonengrossing adjective
• nonengrossingly adverb
• unengrossing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of engrossing¹

First recorded in 1475–85; engross + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Anthony Gottlieb sums him up in an engrossing biography, “Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes,” writing that “his charismatic gift was to be halting, self-deprecating and imperious all at the same time.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So it feels fitting the pair's battle for supremacy in 2025 - like all engrossing stories - will have a gripping final chapter.

Read more on BBC

But he has plenty of company in his engrossing new play, “The Other Americans,” at the Public Theater.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And here, he settles nicely into Kerr’s conflicted state of mind, rattled by drugs, fights, ambition and a constant belief in human kindness that makes his performance engrossing, even when the film isn’t.

Read more on Salon

An honorable, accurate summation of a legacy engrossingly laid out in this economically presented hour.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• absorbing 
• captivating 
• compelling 
• enthralling www.thesaurus.com
• exciting 
• fascinating 
• gripping 
• intriguing www.thesaurus.com
• riveting 
• stimulating