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)
-
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
-
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
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has been intriguingperfect progressive
Past
-
intriguedsimple
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had intriguedperfect
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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:
To add to the intrigue, Barca sources have distanced themselves from such talk when approached to comment by BBC Sport.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
You’re also indulging in way too much intrigue.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
And the silence of the confessed killer—who is now trying to withdraw his guilty plea— adds to the intrigue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
That doesn’t save “Cape Fear” from being a 10-hour slog set to an imitation of Bernard Herrmann’s anxiety-inducing score, but it does lend a little intrigue to Antosca and Bardem’s interpretation of Max.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
His eyes flashed and the shadow of a grin twisted on his face, the intrigue of the old Deydey who’d never been sick.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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
If the idea of moving into a university retirement community intrigues you, take these steps before signing a contract:
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
"I just take what intrigues me from different genres and different moods and apply them to the stories I want to tell."
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
“I am lucky to have her help, but acting isn’t what I’m interested in. It’s the set design that intrigues me.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
I’m intrigued by the rise of AI influencers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
If, like me, you're big on crime novels, then this suggests you're concerned with - or intrigued by - threat and danger.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
So it makes sense that now, as a wellness writer, I became intrigued by Body Dada, a barre fitness studio with locations in Highland Park and Silver Lake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s bold, a little funky, and exactly the kind of recipe that makes people either immediately intrigued or deeply skeptical.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Will found himself intrigued and moved by their love for each other.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
It is Bezos's involvement that makes the deal so intriguing and will trigger speculation about the future plans of Liverpool's owners.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Holly: Fulham's Robinson is an intriguing pick and seemingly good value at this price point.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
That’s higher than they’ve been in decades, and it’s also happening at an intriguing time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Yet new research suggests that one of the most intriguing questions about dinosaur evolution lies at the opposite end of the size spectrum: Why did dinosaurs apparently never become extremely small?
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Its future prospects are far more intriguing than our past apprehensions about it.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
