intrigue
verb (used with object)
to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate.
were intriguing
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past progressiveof intrigue.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Archaeologist James Brown said the outlines were "intriguing glimpses into the oldest history of buildings known" at Mottisfont.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
They were entertaining, they were intriguing and they were a failure.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
The results were intriguing: While kelp forests suffered dramatic losses along the Northern and Southern coastlines, they had increased in abundance in central California.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2024
But from the first number — Duparc’s “L’Invitation au voyage” — her interpretive intentions were intriguing, as she stretched the poem’s vision of “luxury, calm and delight” into a clear, forbidding premonition of the afterlife.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2022
The meddlesomeness and incapacity of congress were destroying its army; generals were intriguing against one another, soldiers were perishing for lack of necessaries, stores were wasted.
From The Political History of England - Vol. X. The History of England from the Accession of George III to the close of Pitt's first Administration by Reginald Lane Poole
