intrigue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
intrigues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intrigued,
past participle, past
-
intriguing
present participle
-
to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate.
The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work.
-
to achieve or earn by appealing to another's curiosity, fancy, or interest.
to intrigue one's way into another's notice.
-
to draw or capture.
Her interest was intrigued by the strange symbol.
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to accomplish or force by crafty plotting or underhand machinations.
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Obsolete. to entangle.
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Obsolete. to trick or cheat.
verb (used without object)
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intrigues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intrigued,
past participle, past
-
intriguing
present participle
noun
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intrigues
plural
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the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
- Synonyms:
- manipulation
-
such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing.
political intrigues.
- Synonyms:
- manipulation
-
a secret or illicit love affair.
-
the series of complications forming the plot of a play.
verb
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(tr) to make interested or curious
I'm intrigued by this case, Watson
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(intr) to make secret plots or employ underhand methods; conspire
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to carry on a clandestine love affair
noun
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the act or an instance of secret plotting, etc
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a clandestine love affair
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the quality of arousing interest or curiosity; beguilement
Synonym Usage
See conspiracy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intriguesimple
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intriguessimple
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have intriguedperfect
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has intriguedperfect
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am intriguingprogressive
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are intriguingprogressive
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is intriguingprogressive
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have been intriguingperfect progressive
-
has been intriguingperfect progressive
Past
-
intriguedsimple
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had intriguedperfect
-
was intriguingprogressive
-
were intriguingprogressive
-
had been intriguingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intrigue
First recorded in 1640–50; from French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intrīcāre “to entangle”; see intricate
Explanation
An intrigue is a secret plot. If you ever become the monarch of a small island kingdom, keep watch for signs of any intrigue against you. Intrigue comes from the Latin verb intricare, "to entangle," and is related to intricate. It can be a noun, meaning "underhanded plot," or a verb for the act of plotting. Agents of two opposing powers intrigue against each other. In the late 19th century it also came to mean the feeling of curiosity or interest. If someone's ideas intrigue you, you want to know more about them.
Vocabulary lists containing intrigue
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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.
See Examples For:
Nonetheless, the team will still feature plenty of intrigue roster-wise, with a mix of youngsters “doing TikToks” and “old heads” trying to keep up, as Garland described it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Other monetization opportunities that intrigue Wall Street include the company’s newly introduced Meta Model API, which marks the first time Meta has charged developers and enterprise users for access to its underlying models.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
This exemplary drama of intrigue and heartbreak closes with “a gentle scene, on an island with a history of violence.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Vance's appearance adds intrigue to the closing night.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
These were happy, well-adjusted teens with lives that were accordingly rich with activities and social intrigue having nothing to do with their parents.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Uganda's tempestuous army chief has once again vowed to run for president and succeed his long-ruling father, but palace intrigues are swirling as he faces a challenge from a brother-in-law.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
A question that intrigues me is why investors fall for these shooting stars in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hawk and Pína present a noticeably different picture of a relationship than most rom-coms offer — a kinetic, unpredictable spark that fuels the movie’s uncertainty and intrigues the audience tenfold.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
What intrigues the city, for at least part of the parking lots around Angel Stadium: a youth sports park for all those travel ball teams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Eddard Stark had no taste for these intrigues.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Angus Wainwright, regional archaeologist for the National Trust's East of England region, said the structure had always intrigued him.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
So when she discovered a medbed Facebook page two years ago, she was intrigued.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Recent Samsung convert TJ Pompos has to admit he’s intrigued by the iPhone Duo’s new features.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“That was a huge learning experience for me, just being so close to Sean and seeing all the stuff he had to deal with. That’s where it kind of intrigued me and piqued my interest.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Gabe sat up straighter, more awake, intrigued now.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
One of the most intriguing findings was that caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee did not appear to affect participants in exactly the same way.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Pietersen was the most intriguing of appointments to England's dressing room staff because of his own history, but also what he has said before.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
That creates an intriguing setup for investors, as Taiwan sits at the center of the global semiconductor supply chain.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Osinski was skeptical at first, but the possibility was intriguing enough that he organized an expedition to the isolated location in October 2025.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Soon after returning to Berkeley, Alvarez decided to focus his research efforts on the lab’s most intriguing experimental project: the search for an elusive decay process known as K-capture.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
