- arousing great interest
- enchanting or alluring
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
fas•ci•nat•ing
(fas′ə nā′ting),USA pronunciation adj.
fas′ci•nat′ing•ly, adv.
- of great interest or attraction;
enchanting;
charming;
captivating:a fascinating story; fascinating jewelry.
- fascinate + -ing2 1640–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
fascinating /ˈfæsɪˌneɪtɪŋ/ adj
fas•ci•nate /ˈfæsəˌneɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -nat•ed, -nat•ing.
fas•ci•nat•ing, adj.
fas•ci•na•tion /ˌfæsəˈneɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to attract and hold the attention of; arouse the interest or curiosity of;
allure:Ancient Egypt has always fascinated me.
fas•ci•nat•ing, adj.
fas•ci•na•tion /ˌfæsəˈneɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
- fascinate is a verb, fascination is a noun, fascinating and fascinated are adjectives:The magician fascinated the children with his tricks. Their faces showed their fascination. The fascinating tricks thrilled the children. The fascinated children talked about the magician all day.
fas•ci•nate
(fas′ə nāt′),USA pronunciation v., -nat•ed, -nat•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
fas′ci•nat′ed•ly, adv.
fas′ci•na′tive, adj.
v.t.
- to attract and hold attentively by a unique power, personal charm, unusual nature, or some other special quality;
enthrall:a vivacity that fascinated the audience. - to arouse the interest or curiosity of;
allure. - to transfix or deprive of the power of resistance, as through terror:The sight of the snake fascinated the rabbit.
- [Obs.]to bewitch.
- [Obs.]to cast under a spell by a look.
v.i.
- to capture the interest or hold the attention.
- Latin fascinātus, past participle of fascināre to bewitch, cast a spell on, verb, verbal derivative of fascinum evil spell, bewitchment
- 1590–1600
fas′ci•na′tive, adj.
- 1. bewitch, enchant, spellbind, charm.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
fascinate /ˈfæsɪˌneɪt/ vb (mainly tr)
- to attract and delight by arousing interest or curiosity: his stories fascinated me for hours
- to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
- archaic to put under a spell
'fascinating' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
alluring
- attract
- beguiling
- captivate
- charm
- consumedly
- curio
- curiosity
- enthralling
- glamour
- glamorous
- irresistible
- lady-killer
- riveting
- syllogism
- taking
- witch
- witchcraft
- bewitching
- catching
- Circe
- enchantress
- fascination
- gripping
- half-fascinating
- intrigue
- mesmeric
- portrait
- quasi-fascinating
- witching