fascinated
Americanadjective
-
having the attention attracted and held by a person or thing having unique power or charm, unusual character, etc.; enthralled or captivated.
The nature trail guide opened one of the boxes to let the fascinated onlookers view two baby bluebirds inside.
-
strongly interested or intrigued by something.
I'm speaking now not as a lawyer, just as a fascinated observer of mankind.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fascinated
Explanation
When you're fascinated, you're hypnotized, mesmerized, spellbound, and transfixed — totally absorbed by something. There are two ways to be fascinated: You can be fascinated by something happening right now, like an interesting new video game you're playing. Other fascinations are more long term, like a scientist who devotes his life to studying birds because he's fascinated by them. Things that make you fascinated have to be so interesting and so intriguing that it feels like they have a magic grip on your attention span.
Vocabulary lists containing fascinated
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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.
Homo naledi lived approximately 335,000 to 241,000 years ago and has fascinated scientists since its discovery in 2013.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026
Krakow's Main Market Square remained sealed off Sunday as mourners brought candles in tribute to six people killed by a gunman who authorities said was "fascinated by far-right ideologies".
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
“Black Zombie” opens with a truth that has long escaped those fascinated by the shambling undead.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
Even with her fraud thoroughly exposed, even in a documentary where she repeatedly resorts to the obvious trick of focusing on semantics, we remain fascinated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
I think Fly would’ve been fascinated by this.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
