interested
Americanadjective
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having an interest in something; concerned.
Interested members will meet at noon.
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having the attention or curiosity engaged.
an interested spectator.
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characterized by a feeling of interest.
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influenced by personal or selfish motives.
an interested witness.
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participating; having an interest or share; having money involved.
adjective
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showing or having interest
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(usually prenominal) personally involved or implicated
the interested parties met to discuss the business
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of interested
First recorded in 1655–65; interest ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) or -ed 3 ( def. )
Explanation
If you're interested in something, you like it and want to know more. If you're snoring through a movie, you're probably not that interested in it. If you're interested in something, it has your attention. Some people are interested in sports; others are interested in books. If you like something and want to learn more about it, or just enjoy thinking about it, then you're interested. People can also be interested in things they have a stake in: we would say both the workers and employers are "interested parties" in a labor dispute, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing interested
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Hooked on a Feeling, List 1
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Unit 20, Lessons 3–4
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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.
Mesosaurs have long interested paleontologists because they gave birth to live young, a characteristic some researchers have interpreted as evidence of a fully aquatic existence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Harper says he’d been interested in being part of the show set in the late 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
This decadent confection—pistachio, raspberry and fudge brownie, we’re told—is an apt conclusion to a show that’s a treat for anyone interested in the surprising ways artists continue to push the boundaries of well-known materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
When I started looking for people to chat with for this piece, I expected to find only a handful interested.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I’ve come here with Tadeo a few times, but he’s not that interested in basketball.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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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.
