- 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
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.
Asked what has changed under Iraola, captain Virgil van Dijk offered an interesting response earlier this week.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
In ordinary situations, I was always trying to figure out how to appear smart, funny or interesting, wondering if they liked me, performing normalcy, coolness or good parenting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Jupiter also has a bow shock, but its enormous size, powerful magnetic field, and gaseous composition make it a particularly interesting place to study how these boundaries behave.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Utility commissioners: Most interesting is Georgia, a data-center hot spot where two seats are up on the state’s utility regulator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Her big toenail had turned an interesting green-black and fallen off.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
