intrigue
[verb in-treeg; noun in-treeg, in-treeg]
- 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.
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- to plot craftily or underhandedly.
- to carry on a secret or illicit love affair.
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- 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.
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Origin of intrigue
Synonyms
See more synonyms for intrigue on Thesaurus.com1. interest, attract, fascinate. 7. manipulate. 9, 10. manipulation.
Synonym study
10. See conspiracy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for intriguingly
Contemporary Examples
But one issue, intriguingly, seems ripe for genuine bipartisan cooperation: criminal justice reform.
Why Isn’t Prison Justice on the Ballot This Tuesday?Inimai Chettiar, Abigail Finkelman
November 1, 2014
Conservatives attacking the president, intriguingly, might say the same.
Intriguingly, not a word of our Roman evidence for his legislation refers to Christians.
Intriguingly, the magazine's editor has claimed they were taken by a member of the public on a public beach.
Intriguingly, Lisa and Jo, who now have both separated from their partners, have moved in together as housemates in real life.
intrigue
- (tr) to make interested or curiousI'm intrigued by this case, Watson
- (intr) to make secret plots or employ underhand methods; conspire
- (intr often foll by with) to carry on a clandestine love affair
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- the act or an instance of secret plotting, etc
- a clandestine love affair
- the quality of arousing interest or curiosity; beguilement
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Word Origin
C17: from French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intrīcāre; see intricate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for intriguingly
intrigue
v.
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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intrigue
n.
1640s, probably from intrigue (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper