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.
Her latest single, Praying Mantis, which released this week, has once again made her a talking point, with fans dissecting the dark, hypnotic track online.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Trade the metronome as it swings back and forth, but don’t let the hypnotic sound lull you into complacency.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Although technically written in 4/4 time, the piano and percussion play eighth-note triplets throughout, creating a soothing, hypnotic effect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Day sings about her recent good fortune in “Halo’s” hypnotic opening track, “Everything I’ve Ever Wanted.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
“If we all just skipped everything else this evening and we just watched the fields burn. It’s so weird. It’s hypnotic watching a fire.”
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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.
