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  • synonyms

spellbound

[ spel-bound ]
/ ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spellbound ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

bound by or as if by a spell; enchanted, entranced, or fascinated: a spellbound audience.

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RELATED WORDS

breathless, bemused, rapt, enthralled, amazed, charmed, bewildered, possessed, hooked, transported, held, bewitched, petrified, transfixed, mesmerized, gripped, agape, open-mouthed

Nearby words

spell-check, spell-checker, spellbind, spellbinder, spellbinding, spellbound, spellchecker, spelldown, speller, speller-divider, spellican

Origin of spellbound

First recorded in 1790–1800; spell2 + -bound1

Definition for spellbound (2 of 2)

spellbind

[ spel-bahynd ]
/ ˈspɛlˌbaɪnd /

verb (used with object), spell·bound, spell·bind·ing.

to hold or bind by or as if by a spell; enchant; entrance; fascinate.

Origin of spellbind

1800–10; spell2 + bind, deduced from spellbound
Related formsspell·bind·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spellbound

British Dictionary definitions for spellbound (1 of 2)

spellbound

/ (ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd) /

adjective

having one's attention held as though one is bound by a spella spellbound audience

British Dictionary definitions for spellbound (2 of 2)

spellbind

/ (ˈspɛlˌbaɪnd) /

verb -binds, -binding or -bound

(tr) to cause to be spellbound; entrance or enthral
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012