fascinate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to attract and hold attentively by a unique power, personal charm, unusual nature, or some other special quality; enthrall.
His natural vivacity fascinates and dominates his audience, leading them wherever he will.
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to arouse the interest or curiosity of.
As I learned about ancient Egyptian religion, I found elements that fascinated me.
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to transfix or deprive of the power of resistance, as through terror.
The sight of the snake fascinated the rabbit.
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Obsolete. to bewitch.
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Obsolete. to cast under a spell by a look.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to attract and delight by arousing interest or curiosity
his stories fascinated me for hours
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to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
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archaic to put under a spell
Usage
A person can be fascinated by or with another person or thing. It is correct to speak of someone's fascination with a person or thing; one can also say a person or thing has a fascination for someone
Other Word Forms
- fascinatedly adverb
- fascination noun
- fascinative adjective
Etymology
Origin of fascinate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin fascinātus, past participle of fascināre “to bewitch, cast a spell on,” verbal derivative of fascinum “evil spell, bewitchment”
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.
More than 150 years after the sisters' deaths, "the world is still fascinated with their stories," said Canadian retiree Nancy Marto, adding that being able to visit Haworth was "a dream come true".
From Barron's
No one knew the truth; everyone found it fascinating.
From Literature
The art that he created there embodies a kind of deconstructed narcissism; Samaras is fascinated with himself, but mostly as—to paraphrase the photographer Garry Winogrand’s choice of subjects—“something to be photographed.”
One of the most fascinating things inside chip fabrication plants, or fabs, is the intricate overhead transportation system that carries wafers from machine to machine.
I was fascinated by the fast delicate way the lady’s fingers started flipping the cards.
From Literature
Definitions 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.
