hypnotic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or producing hypnosis or sleep
-
(of a person) susceptible to hypnotism
noun
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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.
That intro synth loop is very Whigs v2, in that it feels like it got borrowed from the Twilight Singers, as is the gently hypnotic backbeat and the female vocals.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Produced by Sandy Linzer, the record was simultaneously rooted in the past and present, blending hypnotic, churning rhythms with sympathetic strings, smooth saxophones and muted trumpets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Sleek and hypnotic, it lacks the killer chorus needed to claim the Eurovision crown.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
But it’s his voice that exerts the most hypnotic force, moving from defensive parry to inner rumble that takes the entire audience at the James Earl Jones Theatre into his confidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
They writhed back and forth in a hypnotic pattern, looking for an opening.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
