Synonyms

engrossing

American

[en-groh-sing] / ɛnˈgroʊ sɪŋ /

adjective

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

Etymology

Origin of engrossing

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

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.

His experience with the material lends weight to a thoroughly engrossing tale.

From The Wall Street Journal

One engrossing match can take multiple episodes to finish, but that time feels essential to understanding the stakes and intricacies of the game.

From Salon

The chief exception: the Getty, where its Brentwood anchor and Pacific Palisades outpost accounted for three of the 10 most engrossing museum exhibitions in 2025, all 10 presented here in order of their opening dates.

From Los Angeles Times

Scott Eyman faces a triple challenge in his richly engrossing biography “Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023