- present participle of rivet.
riveting
Britishadjective
Explanation
A rivet is a fastener that holds something closed or down, and something riveting keeps you glued to your seat and grabs your attention. Sometimes a movie is so riveting that not even free popcorn refills can lure you away. Riveting is an adjective for things that really draw you in, like a book you read in one sitting or a song you turn up so you can hear every lyric. Beautiful scenes are riveting, but terrible and ugly things are also riveting, like the site of an accident you can't stop looking at. Words from a teacher or actor have a riveting effect when they're full of impact and interest, and when you exaggerate a story for your best friend, that's riveting too.
Vocabulary lists containing riveting
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Front Desk
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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.
Our critic raved that the opera “is a ferocious work, and the riveting new production by director Louisa Proske . . . did not hold back.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
But I will admit that Russel Crowe, Jacob Tremblay, and Shailene Woodley all deliver riveting performances.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Young Norman is riveting as the increasingly dastardly king.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Even better is Mr. Banderas in a quietly riveting performance, a career highlight for one of our most underrated actors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“I assure you, Mr. Harley-Dickinson, your zoo story was nothing short of riveting, and I would hear it again in a heartbeat. But the children have a somewhat unusual background,” she said cautiously.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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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.
