Engaging — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /in-ˈgā-jiŋ/ en·gag·ing

Meaning & Definition of Engaging

Engaging (adjective)

  1. tending to draw favorable attention or interest, attractive

Engaging (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having an often mysterious or magical power to attract

    "movie stars often have an engaging aura that is hard to describe"

    similar: alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, entrancing, fascinating, fetching, glamorous, luring, magnetic, seductive
    related: absorbing, arresting, engrossing, enthralling, galvanic, gripping, hypnotic, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, riveting, spellbinding, enticing, tantalizing, tempting, exciting, haunting, interesting, intriguing, titillating, beckoning, inviting, winning, darling, delightful, pleasant, pleasing
    opposite: repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring
    near: boring, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, offensive, shocking, sickening, drab, dreary, dull, flat, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, ponderous

  2. holding the attention or provoking interest

    "a movie with an engaging story that will hold your interest for a couple of hours"

    similar: absorbing, arresting, consuming, engrossing, enthralling, fascinating, gripping, immersing, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting
    related: breathtaking, electric, electrifying, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, inspiring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling, provocative, tantalizing, emphatic, showy, splashy, striking, alluring, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, spellbinding, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, curious, odd, unusual, weird, amazing, astonishing, astounding, eventful, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous, surprising, wonderful, wondrous, amusing, entertaining
    opposite: boring, drab, dry, dull, heavy, monotonous, tedious, uninteresting
    near: operose, tiresome, tiring, wearisome, wearying, sterile, unexciting, dreary, humdrum, pedantic, pedestrian, demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting

Engaging (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to hold the attention of

    "the challenging jigsaw puzzle engaged us all evening"

    similar: absorbing, bemusing, busying, catching up, engrossing, enthralling, enwrapping, fascinating, gripping, immersing, interesting, intriguing, involving, occupying, catching one's eye
    related: alluring, attracting, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, obsessing, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, distracting, preoccupying, hogging, monopolizing
    near: boring, jading, palling, tiring, wearying

  2. to enter into contest or conflict with

    "the daring young captain was eager to engage the enemy"

    similar: battling, encountering, facing, meeting, taking on
    related: emulating, rivaling, contending, fighting, opposing
    near: eluding, escaping, evading, retreating

  3. to obligate by prior agreement

    "we can't go to the dance because we're already engaged to attend a piano recital"

    similar: committing, mortgaging, pledging, trothing
    related: affiancing, betrothing, plighting, promising, swearing, vowing, contracting, enlisting, enrolling, signing on, signing up, overcommitting
    near: reneging

  4. to provide with a paying job

    "the wealthy couple are looking to engage a handyman to take care of the estate"

    similar: assuming, employing, feeing (chiefly Scottish), hiring, laying on (chiefly British), paying, placing, recruiting, retaining, signing (up or on), taking on
    related: reemploying, reengaging, rehiring, apprenticing, contracting, jobbing, partnering, subcontracting, enlisting, advancing, promoting, upgrading, keeping (on), headhunting, scouting
    opposite: axing, canning, discharging, dismissing, firing, sacking
    near: furloughing, laying off, locking out

  5. to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum

    "my sister and her boyfriend have engaged a chauffeured limousine for the prom"

    similar: chartering, hiring, leasing, renting
    related: subleasing, subletting, checking out, arranging (for), bespeaking, booking, contracting (for), ordering, reserving, signing up (for)

Related Entry: Engage (verb)

Engage is a different word from Engaging. The synonyms below are for engage, not for engaging.

  1. to hold the attention of

    "the challenging jigsaw puzzle engaged us all evening"

    similar: absorb, bemuse, busy, catch up, engross, enthrall, enwrap, fascinate, grip, immerse, interest, intrigue, involve, occupy, catch one's eye
    related: allure, attract, beguile, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, obsess, hypnotize, mesmerize, distract, preoccupy, hog, monopolize
    near: bore, jade, pall, tire, weary

  2. to enter into contest or conflict with

    "the daring young captain was eager to engage the enemy"

    similar: battle, encounter, face, meet, take on
    related: emulate, rival, contend, fight, oppose
    near: elude, escape, evade, retreat

  3. to obligate by prior agreement

    "we can't go to the dance because we're already engaged to attend a piano recital"

    similar: commit, mortgage, pledge, troth
    related: affiance, betroth, plight, promise, swear, vow, contract, enlist, enroll, sign on, sign up, overcommit
    near: renege

  4. to provide with a paying job

    "the wealthy couple are looking to engage a handyman to take care of the estate"

    similar: assume, employ, fee (chiefly Scottish), hire, lay on (chiefly British), pay, place, recruit, retain, sign (up or on), take on
    related: reemploy, reengage, rehire, apprentice, contract, job, partner, subcontract, enlist, advance, promote, upgrade, keep (on), headhunt, scout
    opposite: ax, can, discharge, dismiss, fire, sack
    near: furlough, lay off, lock out

  5. to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum

    "my sister and her boyfriend have engaged a chauffeured limousine for the prom"

    similar: charter, hire, lease, rent
    related: sublease, sublet, check out, arrange (for), bespeak, book, contract (for), order, reserve, sign up (for)

Related Entry: Engaging (in) (verb)

Engaging (in) is a different word from Engaging. The synonyms below are for engaging (in), not for engaging.

  1. as in practicing

    similar: practicing, acing, nailing, working (at), bringing about, effecting, effectuating, implementing, reduplicating, reenacting, repeating, accomplishing, achieving, bringing off, carrying off, carrying out, committing, compassing, doing, executing, following through (with), fulfilling, making, negotiating, performing, perpetrating, prosecuting, pulling off, putting through, actualizing, attaining, realizing, completing, ending, finishing, winding up
    opposite: failing, skimping, slighting, slurring

Related Entry: Engaging (with) (verb)

Engaging (with) is a different word from Engaging. The synonyms below are for engaging (with), not for engaging.

  1. as in responding (to), reacting (to)

    similar: reacting (to), responding (to), considering, esteeming, rating, reckoning, regarding, viewing, acting (toward), being (to), dealing (with), handling, serving, treating, using

Related Entry: Engaging in conversation (phrase)

Engaging in conversation is a different word from Engaging. The synonyms below are for engaging in conversation, not for engaging.

  1. to communicate with by means of spoken words

    "She managed to engage the office wallflower in conversation."

    similar: chatting (with), conversing (with), speaking (to or with), talking (to)
    related: accosting, addressing, boarding, collaring, greeting, hailing, heralding, informing, notifying, telling

Related Entry: Engage in conversation (phrase)

Engage in conversation is a different word from Engaging. The synonyms below are for engage in conversation, not for engaging.

  1. to communicate with by means of spoken words

    "She managed to engage the office wallflower in conversation."

    similar: chat (with), converse (with), speak (to or with), talk (to)
    related: accost, address, board, collar, greet, hail, herald, inform, notify, tell

Related Entry: Reengaging (verb)

Reengaging is a different word from Engaging. The synonyms below are for reengaging, not for engaging.

  1. as in rehiring, reemploying

    similar: reemploying, rehiring, assuming, employing, engaging, feeing (chiefly Scottish), hiring, laying on (chiefly British), paying, placing, recruiting, retaining, signing (up or on), taking on, apprenticing, contracting, jobbing, partnering, subcontracting, enlisting, advancing, promoting, upgrading, keeping (on), headhunting, scouting
    opposite: axing, canning, discharging, dismissing, firing, sacking, furloughing, laying off, locking out

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Engaging

The most common words with a similar meaning to Engaging:

Chiefly Scottish: feeing
Chiefly British: laying on
alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, entrancing, fascinating, fetching, glamorous, luring, magnetic, seductive, absorbing, arresting, consuming, engrossing, enthralling, gripping, immersing, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting, bemusing, busying, catching up, enwrapping, occupying, battling, encountering, facing, meeting, taking on, committing, mortgaging, pledging

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Engaging

Words with the opposite meaning of Engaging:

repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring, boring, drab, dry, dull, heavy, monotonous, tedious, uninteresting, axing, canning, discharging, dismissing, firing, sacking

Related Words for Engaging

galvanic, hypnotic, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, spellbinding, enticing, tantalizing, tempting, exciting, haunting, titillating, beckoning, inviting, winning, darling, delightful, pleasant, pleasing, breathtaking, electric, electrifying, exhilarating, galvanizing, inspiring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling, provocative, emphatic

Near Antonyms of Engaging

irksome, tiresome, wearisome, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, offensive, shocking, sickening, dreary, flat, humdrum, jading, leaden, pedestrian, ponderous, operose, tiring

Word Forms of Engaging

Derived words: engagingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Engaging

First known use: 1673

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Engaging

Frequently Asked Questions about Engaging

What does "Engaging" mean?

"Engaging" means tending to draw favorable attention or interest, attractive. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: tending to draw favorable attention or interest, attractive. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Engaging"?

Other words for "Engaging" include alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming and elfin. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Engaging" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Engaging"?

There are 151 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Engaging". Common alternatives include alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting and entrancing.

What is the opposite of "Engaging"?

Antonyms of "Engaging" include repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring, boring and drab. Near antonyms include irksome, tiresome, wearisome and abhorrent.

How do you use "Engaging" in a sentence?

Examples of "Engaging" in a sentence: "movie stars often have an engaging aura that is hard to describe"; "a movie with an engaging story that will hold your interest for a couple of hours"; "the challenging jigsaw puzzle engaged us all evening".

Is "Engaging" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Engaging" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Engaging" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Engaging" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Engaging"?

"Engaging" is pronounced /in-ˈgā-jiŋ/ and divided into syllables as en·gag·ing.