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
- interestedly adverb
- interestedness noun
- overinterested adjective
- overinterestedly adverb
- overinterestedness noun
- quasi-interested adjective
- quasi-interestedly adverb
- well-interested adjective
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
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Polanski said he did not agree with Sir Keir's view before saying he would "discourage" the use of the phrase but he is "not interested in trying to police people's language".
From BBC • May 3, 2026
The original idea came from Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador to Naples and Sicily from 1765 to 1800, who was also deeply interested in volcanology.
From Science Daily • May 2, 2026
“What is the business that they’re most interested in today?”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
First, I was very interested in Metro just because I had worked there as the blog editor, and in that role, I got to explore so many different stories.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
“I couldn’t get interested in reading them—not now. The only thing I’m interested in right now is catching those monkeys.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
