intrigue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
noun
-
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
-
(intr) to make secret plots or employ underhand methods; conspire
-
to carry on a clandestine love affair
noun
-
the act or an instance of secret plotting, etc
-
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
-
intriguesimple
-
intriguessimple
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have intriguedperfect
-
has intriguedperfect
-
am intriguingprogressive
-
are intriguingprogressive
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is intriguingprogressive
-
have been intriguingperfect progressive
-
has been intriguingperfect progressive
Past
-
intriguedsimple
-
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:
Reddick loads her genre-blurring tale with outlandish intrigue involving Soviet spies, a capitalist cult and a roving choir that doubles as a Greek chorus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
And if any fictional town could make twice-a-year-Halloween seem reasonable, it was Gravity Falls, which teemed with paranormal mystery and intrigue.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Its low temperature has added to its intrigue.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
Burden’s glamorous pedigree only adds to the story’s allure and intrigue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
With almost a dozen immortal emperors jostling for position, high-level Inka society was characterized by ramose political intrigue of a scale that would have delighted the Medici.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
But besides paying well, the task intrigues her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 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
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
I know that’s not easy, which is perhaps why you’re intrigued by options like debt consolidation and hiring someone to negotiate down your bills.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Jones was intrigued by Pints and Ponytails as he’s battled the hair-care needs of his 2 ½-year-old daughter, Noa, and her textured, curly locks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
But they will be intrigued to discover how the writers will write themselves out of corners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
For better or worse, I’d fallen in love with a man with a vision who was optimistic without being naive, undaunted by conflict, and intrigued by how complicated the world was.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
However, there was an intriguing postscript when the ball itself - or at least one purporting to be so, which was authenticated by Sobers - was sold at auction by Christie's for £26,400.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
What makes this behavior so intriguing is that the crystals were not used as tools, weapons, or jewelry.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
But you don’t have to wholly buy into the idea of a character like Sonny to find something intriguing about what Adeline is saying about storytelling throughout “People Watching.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Their prehistoric look and yearslong waits for blooms make them intriguing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Most intriguing was the possibility of a chain reaction: if neutrons emitted in fission struck neighboring nuclei and caused them to split, they might in turn emit even more neutrons, producing more fissions.
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.
