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
-
intrigues
plural
-
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
-
(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
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intriguesimple
-
intriguessimple
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have intriguedperfect
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has intriguedperfect
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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:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is forecast to report booming profit but the real intrigue comes in its talks with Elon Musk over his Terafab project.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Nik Cohn’s “Corner Boy: Loiterings New and Old” is alive with mystery, intrigue and revelation.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
Ever since City moved to secure the future signing of a then 14-year-old Sullivan back in 2024, there has been plenty of intrigue around his progress, and hype to go with it.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Explosive relationship scandals have ushered in a new era of reality TV intrigue in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
But Julian liked intrigue, and secrecy, and this was the sort of thing that could keep him speculating for days.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The author of “Queens and Kings” on books that unveil the lives of English royalty, from Tudor splendor to Victorian household intrigues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Uganda's tempestuous army chief has once again vowed to run for president and succeed his long-ruling father, but palace intrigues are swirling as he faces a challenge from a brother-in-law.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 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
Over separate video calls, The Times caught up with Glatzer and Magnussen to discuss what intrigues them about the machinations of Silicon Valley and how their relationship with tech has changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Her effective status as an only child, as well as the relative isolation of the Tallis house, kept her, at least during the long summer holidays, from girlish intrigues with friends.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
I started becoming really intrigued by the concept of liminal space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Sleep may appear peaceful, but the brain is highly active -- especially when dreaming. We were intrigued by this paradox, and wanted to look into the scientific basis behind why dreaming is somehow tiring."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
"I was especially intrigued by the passage where he got out of his slump in the late 1990s by creating his own training regimen and finding his way back to the top," Raducanu told Uniqlo.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
So when she discovered a medbed Facebook page two years ago, she was intrigued.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Part of me is intrigued by the party, but the other part of me doesn’t want to spend a night hanging out with Juanga.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
"That's what's so intriguing about this. Who will they fight next year? We want to find out who is the best."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Historical uncertainty is an intriguing theme, but less so when it’s achieved through vagueness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
There’s something so intriguing to me about what they’ve done with that pet name across the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Indeed, it is the variety and profundity of his music since 1977 that continues to make him one of his genre’s most intriguing artists.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026
Obinze, with his air of calm and inwardness, made it even more intriguing.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
