intrigue

[ verb in-treeg; noun in-treeg, in-treeg ]
See synonyms for: intrigueintriguedintriguesintriguing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),in·trigued, in·tri·guing.
  1. 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.

  2. to achieve or earn by appealing to another's curiosity, fancy, or interest: to intrigue one's way into another's notice.

  1. to draw or capture: Her interest was intrigued by the strange symbol.

  2. to accomplish or force by crafty plotting or underhand machinations.

  3. Obsolete. to entangle.

  4. Obsolete. to trick or cheat.

verb (used without object),in·trigued, in·tri·guing.
  1. to plot craftily or underhandedly.

  2. to carry on a secret or illicit love affair.

noun
  1. the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.

  2. such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing: political intrigues.

  1. a secret or illicit love affair.

  2. the series of complications forming the plot of a play.

Origin of intrigue

1
First recorded in 1640–50; from French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intrīcāre “to entangle”; see intricate

synonym study For intrigue

10. See conspiracy.

Other words for intrigue

Other words from intrigue

  • in·tri·guer, noun
  • in·tri·guing·ly, adverb
  • out·in·trigue, verb (used with object), out·in·trigued, out·in·tri·guing.
  • un·in·tri·guing, adjective

Words Nearby intrigue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use intrigue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for intrigue

intrigue

verb(ɪnˈtriːɡ) -trigues, -triguing or -trigued
  1. (tr) to make interested or curious: I'm intrigued by this case, Watson

  2. (intr) to make secret plots or employ underhand methods; conspire

  1. (intr often foll by with) to carry on a clandestine love affair

noun(ɪnˈtriːɡ, ˈɪntriːɡ)
  1. the act or an instance of secret plotting, etc

  2. a clandestine love affair

  1. the quality of arousing interest or curiosity; beguilement

Origin of intrigue

1
C17: from French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intrīcāre; see intricate

Derived forms of intrigue

  • intriguer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012