entrancing

[en-tran-sing, -trahn-]

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adjective

delightful; enchanting.

Origin of entrancing

First recorded in 1835–45; entrance² + -ing²

Related formsen·tranc·ing·ly, adverb

entrance

[en-trans, -trahns]

verb (used with object), en·tranced, en·tranc·ing.

to fill with delight or wonder; enrapture.

to put into a trance: to be hypnotically entranced.

Origin of entrance

First recorded in 1585–95; en-¹ + trance¹

Related formsen·trance·ment, nounun·en·tranced, adjective

Synonyms for entrance

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1. enthrall, spellbind, fascinate, transport.

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

Related Words for entrancing

enticing, fascinating, delightful, rapturous, winsome, orphic

Examples from the Web for entrancing

Contemporary Examples of entrancing

The steady, entrancing rhythms are a well-established motif in dramatizations of the American war in Vietnam.
A Different Kind of Vietnam Story
J.T. Price
October 9, 2014
Its emotional core is also sure, and serious, entrancing and relatively dark.
Teju Cole’s Keen Eye Spares No One—Himself Included
Benjamin Lytal
July 9, 2014
The war is an entrancing possibility, but not yet a reality, and it remains that way throughout the novel.
American Dreams: 'A Time to Be Born' by Dawn Powell
Nathaniel Rich
May 25, 2012

Historical Examples of entrancing

I was seeing fashionable life for the first time, and it was entrancing.
The Woman Thou Gavest Me
Hall Caine
Some of the younger girls are beautiful, and most of the children are entrancing.
Out-of-Doors in the Holy Land
Henry Van Dyke
He has before him a field of historical research of most entrancing interest.
Clairvoyance
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Those were years of depravity, but they were entrancing in memory.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
She smiled with entrancing sweetness, and held out her hands.
The Crooked House
Brandon Fleming

British Dictionary definitions for entrancing

entrance

noun

the act or an instance of entering; entry

a place for entering, such as a door or gate

the power, liberty, or right of entering; admission
(as modifier)an entrance fee

the coming of an actor or other performer onto a stage

Word Origin for entrance

C16: from French, from entrer to enter

entrance

verb (tr)

to fill with wonder and delight; enchant

to put into a trance; hypnotize

Derived Formsentrancement, nounentrancing, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for entrancing

entrance

1520s, "act of entering," from Middle French entrance, from entrer (see enter). Sense of "door, gate" first recorded in English 1530s.

entrance

"to throw into a trance," 1590s, from en- (1) "put in" + trance (n.). Meaning "to delight" also is 1590s. Related: Entranced; entrancing.