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.
to accomplish or force by crafty plotting or underhand machinations.
Obsolete. to entangle.
Obsolete. to trick or cheat.
verb (used without object),in·trigued,in·tri·guing.
to plot craftily or underhandedly.
to carry on a secret or illicit love affair.
noun
the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing: political intrigues.
a secret or illicit love affair.
the series of complications forming the plot of a play.
Origin of intrigue
1640–50; < Frenchintriguer < Italianintrigare < Latinintrīcāre to entangle; see intricate
Related formsin·tri·guer, nounin·tri·guing·ly, adverbout·in·trigue, verb (used with object),out·in·trigued,out·in·tri·guing.un·in·trigued, adjectiveun·in·tri·guing, adjective
1610s, "to trick, deceive, cheat" (earlier entriken, late 14c.), from French intriguer (16c.), from Italian intrigare "to plot, meddle," from Latin intricare "entangle" (see intricate). Meaning "to plot or scheme" first recorded 1714; that of "to excite curiosity" is from 1894. Related: Intrigued; intriguing (1680s, "plotting, scheming;" meaning "exciting curiosity" is from 1909).
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