entertaining

[ en-ter-tey-ning ]

/ ˌɛn tərˈteɪ nɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR entertaining ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

affording entertainment; amusing; diverting: We spent an entertaining evening at the theater.

Nearby words

enterprise zone, enterpriser, enterprising, entertain, entertainer, entertaining, entertainment, enthalpy, enthesis, enthesitis, enthesopathy

Origin of entertaining

First recorded in 1615–25; entertain + -ing²

Related forms

en·ter·tain·ing·ly, adverbnon·en·ter·tain·ing, adjectivequa·si-en·ter·tain·ing, adjectiveself-en·ter·tain·ing, adjective

un·en·ter·tain·ing, adjectiveun·en·ter·tain·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for entertaining (2 of 2)

entertain

[ en-ter-teyn ]

/ ˌɛn tərˈteɪn /

verb (used with object)

to hold the attention of pleasantly or agreeably; divert; amuse.

to have as a guest; provide food, lodging, etc., for; show hospitality to.

to admit into the mind; consider: He never entertained such ideas.

to hold in the mind; harbor; cherish: They secretly entertained thoughts of revenge.

Archaic. to maintain or keep up.

Obsolete. to give admittance or reception to; receive.

verb (used without object)

to exercise hospitality; entertain company; provide entertainment for guests: They loved to talk, dance, and entertain.

Origin of entertain

1425–75; late Middle English entertenen to hold mutually < Middle French entretenir ≪ Vulgar Latin *intertenēre, equivalent to Latin inter- inter- + tenēre to hold

SYNONYMS FOR entertain

1 beguile, regale.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR entertain ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR entertain

1 bore.

3 reject.

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Related forms

o·ver·en·ter·tained, adjectivepre·en·ter·tain, verb (used with object)un·en·ter·tained, adjectivewell-en·ter·tained, adjective

Synonym study

1. See amuse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for entertaining

The first, while entertaining, is the less revelatory of the two.
Best Buy Punches Back at Amazon|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the end, his account is an entertaining reminder that sometimes, the truth really is better than fiction.
England’s Greatest Knight Puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to Shame|William O’Connor|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hosts are vetted carefully, both for their cooking and entertaining skills.
The Airbnb of Home-Cooked Meals|Itay Hod|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bop had produced self-conscious artists who refused to bow to conventional assumptions of what was entertaining.
How Rock and Roll Killed Jim Crow|Dennis McNally|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So she has chosen the path as her literary heroes, Charles Dickens and George Orwell: the entertaining but didactic novel.
Join Caitlin Moran’s Riotous Feminist Revolution|Lizzie Crocker|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, if the art of entertaining makes hostesses, hostesses must make the art of entertaining.
The Art of Entertaining|M. E. W. Sherwood
The author was the most delightful and entertaining of literary men of our time, Mr. James Payn.
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 1 (of 2)|Harry Furniss
We forgive them for entertaining such notions, but forbid their practice.
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete|Ulysses S. Grant
This rule does not hold true when one of the guests is infirm, or when the hostess is entertaining a very distinguished visitor.
Book of Etiquette|Lillian Eichler
I feel like crying, as a bad boy over his broken playthings, and I could box my own ears for entertaining such a desire.
Goethe and Schiller|L. Mhlbach

British Dictionary definitions for entertaining (1 of 2)

entertaining

/ (ˌɛntəˈteɪnɪŋ) /

adjective

serving to entertain or give pleasure; diverting; amusing

Derived Forms

entertainingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for entertaining (2 of 2)

entertain

/ (ˌɛntəˈteɪn) /

verb

to provide amusement for (a person or audience)

to show hospitality to (guests)

(tr) to hold in the mindto entertain an idea

Word Origin for entertain

C15: from Old French entretenir, from entre- mutually + tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre

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

entertaining

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of entertaining

Related forms

Definition for entertaining (2 of 2)

entertain

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of entertain

SYNONYMS FOR entertain

ANTONYMS FOR entertain

Related forms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for entertaining

British Dictionary definitions for entertaining (1 of 2)

entertaining

adjective

Derived Forms

British Dictionary definitions for entertaining (2 of 2)

entertain

verb

Word Origin for entertain