entertaining
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of entertaining
Explanation
Things that are entertaining are enjoyable and distracting. Going to the circus is an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. Activities like playing games and watching movies can be entertaining, and you can also describe a friend who's particularly funny or fun to be with as entertaining. The adjective comes from the related verb, entertain, which meant "keep up, maintain, or keep someone in a certain frame of mind" in the fifteenth century. It comes from the Old French entretenir, "hold together."
Vocabulary lists containing entertaining
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.
"I'm really resistant to the idea of writing a trauma novel. I want something that is fun and entertaining."
From BBC • May 22, 2026
In the meantime, this highly ambitious, informative and entertaining series takes the most analyzed, scrutinized, dramatized and idealized event of the 20th century and makes it feel like something you never learned about in school.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Reviews were mostly positive about his first effort, with Deadline calling it a "wonderfully atmospheric, nostalgic and entertaining contemporary noir".
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
However, there are also several other more unique entertaining spaces found throughout the home, particularly on the lower level, which encompasses “a private theater, temperature-controlled wine cellar, fitness studio, and spa-inspired steam room.”
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
This sounds unattractive, but it was entertaining rather than off-putting.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
