mesmerized

especially British, mes·mer·ised

[mez-muh-rahyzd, mes]

adjective

1. in a hypnotic or trancelike state; hypnotized.

   “I could create the odor of any kind of fruit and make a mesmerized person taste and smell it,” wrote 19th-century psychic Phineas Quimby.

2. having the attention completely absorbed; fascinated, captivated, or spellbound.

   At our first annual poetry slam, 28 students wielded their verbal prowess in front of a mesmerized audience of over 300.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of mesmerize.

Other Word Forms

• unmesmerized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mesmerized¹

First recorded in 1825–35; mesmerize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; mesmerize ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

The babies laughed and clapped their chubby hands, while the Incorrigibles watched, mesmerized.

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A Cranach Eve or Botticelli Venus, she is stiffly erect, her hands and eyes raised as if in mesmerized supplication.

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When you were a kid and you saw images of those artists — I was mesmerized.

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Students say the beauty of the campus mesmerized them from the start.

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They’re mesmerized — many in tears — as they swing back and forth, jump up and down, and celebrate the collective experience of seeing her live.

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Related Words

• absorbed 
• aroused 
• delighted 
• enamored 
• enchanted 
• enthralled 
• excited 
• intoxicated 
• thrilled