intrigue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
intrigues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intrigued,
past participle, past
-
intriguing
present participle
-
to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate.
The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work.
-
to achieve or earn by appealing to another's curiosity, fancy, or interest.
to intrigue one's way into another's notice.
-
to draw or capture.
Her interest was intrigued by the strange symbol.
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to accomplish or force by crafty plotting or underhand machinations.
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Obsolete. to entangle.
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Obsolete. to trick or cheat.
verb (used without object)
-
intrigues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intrigued,
past participle, past
-
intriguing
present participle
noun
-
intrigues
plural
-
the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
- Synonyms:
- manipulation
-
such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing.
political intrigues.
- Synonyms:
- manipulation
-
a secret or illicit love affair.
-
the series of complications forming the plot of a play.
verb
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(tr) to make interested or curious
I'm intrigued by this case, Watson
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(intr) to make secret plots or employ underhand methods; conspire
-
to carry on a clandestine love affair
noun
-
the act or an instance of secret plotting, etc
-
a clandestine love affair
-
the quality of arousing interest or curiosity; beguilement
Synonym Usage
See conspiracy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intriguesimple
-
intriguessimple
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have intriguedperfect
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has intriguedperfect
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am intriguingprogressive
-
are intriguingprogressive
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is intriguingprogressive
-
have been intriguingperfect progressive
-
has been intriguingperfect progressive
Past
-
intriguedsimple
-
had intriguedperfect
-
was intriguingprogressive
-
were intriguingprogressive
-
had been intriguingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intrigue
First recorded in 1640–50; from French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intrīcāre “to entangle”; see intricate
Explanation
An intrigue is a secret plot. If you ever become the monarch of a small island kingdom, keep watch for signs of any intrigue against you. Intrigue comes from the Latin verb intricare, "to entangle," and is related to intricate. It can be a noun, meaning "underhanded plot," or a verb for the act of plotting. Agents of two opposing powers intrigue against each other. In the late 19th century it also came to mean the feeling of curiosity or interest. If someone's ideas intrigue you, you want to know more about them.
Vocabulary lists containing intrigue
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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.
See Examples For:
His claim was eventually rejected, but the possibility of undiscovered planets continued to intrigue astronomers for generations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
The series follows Feyre Archeron, a young huntress drawn into the dangerous world of the fae, where she navigates political intrigue, war and romance.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
He described the film as "a comedy with romance, with intrigue, with infidelity, with all the ingredients that I always think are going to make a good story".
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Slowly, the narrator is drawn into a web of deception and intrigue, unrest and perhaps even revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Well, when she finds out about my new top secret job,” he said in a muffled voice full of intrigue, “she might change her mind. ’Cause there’ll be no town to nurse.”
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
The author of ‘Queens and Kings’ on books that unveil the lives of English royalty, from Tudor splendor to Victorian household intrigues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Uganda's tempestuous army chief has once again vowed to run for president and succeed his long-ruling father, but palace intrigues are swirling as he faces a challenge from a brother-in-law.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Hawk and Pína present a noticeably different picture of a relationship than most rom-coms offer — a kinetic, unpredictable spark that fuels the movie’s uncertainty and intrigues the audience tenfold.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
What intrigues the city, for at least part of the parking lots around Angel Stadium: a youth sports park for all those travel ball teams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
This was where the senator preferred to hold his meetings, weave his intrigues, forge his deals, and, in his lonely hours, closet himself to release his rage, his frustrated desire, or his sorrow.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
As performers who had toured a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, they were intrigued when they heard about an event that married a culinary experience with storytelling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
Pakeman was intrigued by what computers like Davidson's Amiga could do when it came to art.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Decades later, we were intrigued to make the journey in reverse, giving something back along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Demonstrators walked peacefully from Atocha train station to the Gran Via, the Spanish capital's prime shopping avenue, watched by intrigued tourists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Saint Sarah laughs high and fake, and I become intrigued with these “friends” from her past.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Experiments in mice also revealed something especially intriguing.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
But there was one intriguing outcome in the vote count: Two Arab parties together won 19 seats—almost twice as many as the 10 seats they won in the previous election.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
Carbon monoxide offers an intriguing opportunity for this approach.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
One of the most intriguing aspects of the discovery is the possibility that BRP could provide weight loss benefits while avoiding some unwanted effects associated with semaglutide and similar medications.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
“The children will be following the squirrel, that is the key,” Penelope mused, which led her to the intriguing ques-tion: If Penelope were a squirrel, where would she run?
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
