hypnotic
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or producing hypnosis or sleep
-
(of a person) susceptible to hypnotism
noun
-
a drug or agent that induces sleep
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a person susceptible to hypnosis
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hypnotic
1680–90; < Late Latin hypnōticus < Greek hypnōtikós sleep-inducing, narcotic, equivalent to hypnō- (variant stem of hypnoûn to put to sleep; see Hypnos) + -tikos -tic
Explanation
Hypnotic things either relate to hypnosis — putting people under spells — or anything that is mesmerizing or spellbinding. You know how hypnotists put people under spells and then make them quack like a duck, or do something equally silly? Hypnotic things relate to hypnosis — like a hypnotist's calm, entrancing, hypnotic voice — or other things that tend to grab people's attention in a similar way. The voice of a powerful public speaker could be described as hypnotic. Great music that you can’t turn off could also be considered hypnotic. Anything hypnotic has a powerful hold on your attention.
Vocabulary lists containing hypnotic
The Devil's Arithmetic
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And Then There Were None
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My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
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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.
Gigantic, hypnotic portions of solid rocket boosters have been installed in the space gallery — displayed on their sides so guests can physically walk through them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
And thanks to her hypnotic direction and Paksoy’s unpredictable performance, “Night Nurse” gives an old idea strange new youth.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Madonna throws open the doors with the hypnotic, Donna Summer-esque I Feel So Free, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
There is no sign outside, but follow the noise inside to find the Host arrive on stage from a door hidden behind a hypnotic dayglow projector visual.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The drone of the propellers was hypnotic and lulled us to sleep in the stiff seats with their square white doilies on the back.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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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.
