intriguing
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
- intriguingly adverb
Explanation
Intriguing things or people arouse curiosity and have an indescribable draw. If you find the night sky intriguing and enjoy pondering the limitlessness of the universe, you should consider becoming an astronomer. When this adjective was first recorded in the 1600’s, anything intriguing had something to do with “tricking, deceiving, or cheating.” It wasn't until much later that intriguing lost its sinister sense and became simply a word to describe something with alluring mystery. Synonyms for intriguing run the gamut from captivating and delightful to riveting and titillating.
Vocabulary lists containing intriguing
Walk Two Moons
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12 More Interesting Ways to Say "interesting"
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Pay Attention! Synonyms for "Interesting"
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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.
Even with that uncertainty, the work offers an intriguing possibility.
From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026
That left one intriguing possibility: an ancient sea sponge.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
Ms. Sneff doesn’t say how history might have changed, probably because she is a careful academic who prefers sober analysis to intriguing speculation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
The most intriguing thing about this tie is how both teams are going to approach it.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
She doesn’t seem to notice, which, of course, makes her all the more intriguing.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
