mesmerizing
Americanadjective
-
completely engrossing; captivating or fascinating.
He spoke to us extemporaneously for at least two hours, weaving a mesmerizing tapestry of wisdom.
-
hypnotic or hypnotizing; having a trancelike effect similar to hypnosis.
The song’s simple repetition of the word “Hallelujah” is comforting, mesmerizing, and uplifting.
Etymology
Origin of mesmerizing
Explanation
If something catches and holds your attention, as if by magic, it's mesmerizing. You might find yourself unable to look away from the mesmerizing display of fireworks overhead. In the 1780s, an Austrian doctor named Franz Mesmer developed a popular medical treatment based on hypnosis. The word mesmerizing comes from his last name, and it originally described actions that induced a hypnotic state. Today it's used for enthralling or fascinating things, like falling snow, your cat's eyes, a sonorous voice reading you a story, or someone who's so wonderful you can't stop thinking about them.
Vocabulary lists containing mesmerizing
The Best at It
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Pelé (1940–2022) Tribute List
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The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing
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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.
It is closer to music than epic, a mesmerizing suite of songs that conveys Tennyson’s private sorrow as he vacillates from unbearable agony to precarious hope.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
“Michael was a genius. He could be mesmerizing and always, always, always brilliant,” said Alan Howard, who edited “Bookworm” for 31 years.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026
In a similar vein to the 1992 Olympics' mesmerizing "Dream Team" of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, the 75-year-old All-Star Game has historically helped popularize the NBA worldwide.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
The listing adds, “Settle beside the living room fireplace with a good book or simply get lost in the mesmerizing view. The dining room opens onto an expansive outdoor space, ideal for entertaining.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026
As he moved onto my other hand, either not caring what the other boys might think or just entirely oblivious to it, he continued talking to me in that mesmerizing lilt of his.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
