- present participle of interest.
interesting
Americanadjective
-
engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity.
an interesting book.
- Synonyms:
- entertaining, absorbing
- Antonyms:
- dull
-
arousing a feeling of interest.
an interesting face.
idioms
adjective
Usage
What are other ways to say interesting? A person or a thing that is interesting arouses a feeling of curiosity or concern, or is engaging and exciting. But interesting isn’t quite the same as pleasing or gratifying. Find out why on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of interesting
Explanation
When you're giving a speech, you probably hope that your audience is gazing at you in fascination because what you're saying is so interesting, and not because you've got something weird on your face. The adjective interesting describes something that makes you curious, or catches your attention, but sometimes people use the word in a doubtful way when they are taken aback but want to be polite. Like if your grandmother looks at your new tattoo and says, "Well, that's certainly interesting!" Chances are she's not actually feeling very enthusiastic about your choice of body art.
Vocabulary lists containing interesting
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.
And in a lot of ways I can’t help but connect it to your character from “UnReal” in that it creates this really interesting perspective on fame.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
He will be getting married on 11 July which potentially could be an England quarter final game and "combining the two could be interesting," he says.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
It’s salty, bright, herbaceous and just spicy enough to keep things interesting.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
The first interesting finding: All our studied sectors do far better when the Fed is raising interest rates or keeping them flat, as opposed to decreasing them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
“Of course,” Penelope said quickly, for no Swanburne girl would be caught out and about without something interesting to read tucked into her pocket or purse.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
