Fascinating — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈfa-sə-ˌnā-tiŋ/ fas·ci·nat·ing

Meaning & Definition of Fascinating

Fascinating (adjective)

  1. extremely interesting or charming, captivating

Fascinating (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having an often mysterious or magical power to attract

    "the fascinating cities and peoples of central Asia have been intriguing travelers at least since the time of Marco Polo"

    similar: alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, 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

    "the fascinating—but dubious—legend that Pocahontas rescued John Smith from certain death"

    similar: absorbing, arresting, consuming, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, 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

Fascinating (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to attract or delight as if by magic

    "for years the zoo's family of giant pandas have fascinated visitors"

    similar: alluring, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, killing, magnetizing, wiling, witching (archaic)
    related: disarming, drawing, enticing, luring, pulling, seducing, tempting, delighting, gratifying, pleasing, arresting, enrapturing, enthralling, entrancing, appealing (to), interesting, intriguing, beckoning, courting, inviting, soliciting, wooing
    near: disgusting, offending, repelling, revolting, annoying, displeasing, irking, boring, tiring, wearying

  2. to hold the attention of as if by a spell

    "I can gaze at the sea for hours, fascinated by the never-ending waves crashing upon the shore"

    similar: arresting, bedazzling, catching up, enchanting, enthralling, gripping, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, spellbinding
    related: enrapturing, entrancing, thrilling, beguiling, bewitching, charming, absorbing, engaging, engrossing, involving

  3. to hold the attention of

    "the subject of artificial intelligence fascinates me"

    similar: absorbing, bemusing, busying, catching up, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, enwrapping, 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

Related Entry: Fascinate (verb)

Fascinate is a different word from Fascinating. The synonyms below are for fascinate, not for fascinating.

  1. to attract or delight as if by magic

    "for years the zoo's family of giant pandas have fascinated visitors"

    similar: allure, beguile, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, kill, magnetize, wile, witch (archaic)
    related: disarm, draw, entice, lure, pull, seduce, tempt, delight, gratify, please, arrest, enrapture, enthrall, entrance, appeal (to), interest, intrigue, beckon, court, invite, solicit, woo
    near: disgust, offend, repel, revolt, annoy, displease, irk, bore, tire, weary

  2. to hold the attention of as if by a spell

    "I can gaze at the sea for hours, fascinated by the never-ending waves crashing upon the shore"

    similar: arrest, bedazzle, catch up, enchant, enthrall, grip, hypnotize, mesmerize, spellbind
    related: enrapture, entrance, thrill, beguile, bewitch, charm, absorb, engage, engross, involve

  3. to hold the attention of

    "the subject of artificial intelligence fascinates me"

    similar: absorb, bemuse, busy, catch up, engage, engross, enthrall, enwrap, 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

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fascinating

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fascinating:

Archaic: witching
alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fetching, glamorous, luring, magnetic, seductive, absorbing, arresting, consuming, engrossing, enthralling, gripping, immersing, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting, beguiling, killing, magnetizing, wiling, bedazzling, catching up, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, spellbinding, bemusing, busying, enwrapping, occupying

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Fascinating

Words with the opposite meaning of Fascinating:

repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring, boring, drab, dry, dull, heavy, monotonous, tedious, uninteresting

Related Words for Fascinating

galvanic, hypnotic, 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, showy, splashy, striking

Near Antonyms of Fascinating

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 Fascinating

Derived words: fascinatingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Fascinating

First known use: 1618

Frequently Asked Questions about Fascinating

What does "Fascinating" mean?

"Fascinating" means extremely interesting or charming, captivating. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: extremely interesting or charming, captivating. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fascinating"?

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

What are different ways to say "Fascinating"?

There are 105 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fascinating". Common alternatives include alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting and engaging.

What is the opposite of "Fascinating"?

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

How do you use "Fascinating" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fascinating" in a sentence: "the fascinating cities and peoples of central Asia have been intriguing travelers at least since the time of Marco Polo"; "the fascinating—but dubious—legend that Pocahontas rescued John Smith from certain death"; "for years the zoo's family of giant pandas have fascinated visitors".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Fascinating"?

"Fascinating" is pronounced /ˈfa-sə-ˌnā-tiŋ/ and divided into syllables as fas·ci·nat·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Fascinating"?

First known use: 1618.