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
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.
“Funko was at an interesting inflection point,” said 48-year-old Simon, who lives in Los Feliz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Robin recounts the research he did for the book and explains why the history of bonds is more interesting than you might think.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026
Nieuwenhuijsen asked her son, Tim de Jonge, who worked in the marketing department of the Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle, to see if Schultz painted anything interesting, and the pair soon stumbled onto Levine’s podcast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Everton have appealed, with sources saying they will "robustly and thoroughly" contest the ruling, but it provides an interesting backdrop to the Manchester City case.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
First he had learned to bounce himself in his crib, so that the hanging thing would move and be interesting for two minutes.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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.
