intrigue
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to achieve or earn by appealing to another's curiosity, fancy, or interest.
to intrigue one's way into another's notice.
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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
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the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
- Synonyms:
- manipulation
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such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing.
political intrigues.
- Synonyms:
- manipulation
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a secret or illicit love affair.
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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
Related Words
See conspiracy.
Other Word Forms
- intriguer noun
- intriguingly adverb
- outintrigue verb (used with object)
- unintriguing adjective
Etymology
Origin of intrigue
First recorded in 1640–50; from French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intrīcāre “to entangle”; intricate
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.
And with that, one of Indian cricket's most intriguing questions sharpens into focus: is he ready for the big stage?
From BBC
Initially intriguing, the jumbled chronology eventually proves to be largely decorative until a disappointing late-reel twist explains why the labored device was deployed in the first place.
From Los Angeles Times
The filmmaker’s Fox Nation series on the lives of saints depicts Jesus’ mother in an intriguingly unorthodox style.
The filmmaker’s Fox Nation series on the lives of saints depicts Jesus’ mother in an intriguingly unorthodox style.
“I was intrigued,” Millet says, “with really trying to engage the audience’s imagination.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
