Intriguing — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /in-ˈtrē-giŋ/ in·trigu·ing

Meaning & Definition of Intriguing

Intriguing (adjective)

  1. engaging the interest to a marked degree, fascinating

Intriguing (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. holding the attention or provoking interest

    "an intriguing concept that should engender much debate among climatologists"

    similar: absorbing, arresting, consuming, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, fascinating, gripping, immersing, interesting, 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

Intriguing (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends

    "evidence that the leading manufacturers had intrigued to keep prices artificially high"

    similar: colluding, compassing, conniving, conspiring, contriving, machinating, plotting, putting up, scheming
    related: counterplotting, brewing, concocting, cooking (up), devising, hatching, engineering, jockeying, maneuvering, manipulating, designing, framing, laying out, mapping, planning, shaping

  2. to hold the attention of

    "the mystery story intrigued me so that I read it in one sitting"

    similar: absorbing, bemusing, busying, catching up, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, enwrapping, fascinating, gripping, immersing, interesting, 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: Intrigue (verb)

Intrigue is a different word from Intriguing. The synonyms below are for intrigue, not for intriguing.

  1. to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends

    "evidence that the leading manufacturers had intrigued to keep prices artificially high"

    similar: collude, compass, connive, conspire, contrive, machinate, plot, put up, scheme
    related: counterplot, brew, concoct, cook (up), devise, hatch, engineer, jockey, maneuver, manipulate, design, frame, lay out, map, plan, shape

  2. to hold the attention of

    "the mystery story intrigued me so that I read it in one sitting"

    similar: absorb, bemuse, busy, catch up, engage, engross, enthrall, enwrap, fascinate, grip, immerse, interest, 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 Intriguing

The most common words with a similar meaning to Intriguing:

absorbing, arresting, consuming, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, fascinating, gripping, immersing, interesting, involving, riveting, colluding, compassing, conniving, conspiring, contriving, machinating, plotting, putting up, scheming, bemusing, busying, catching up, enwrapping, occupying, catching one's eye

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Intriguing

Words with the opposite meaning of Intriguing:

boring, drab, dry, dull, heavy, monotonous, tedious, uninteresting

Related Words for Intriguing

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

Near Antonyms of Intriguing

operose, tiresome, tiring, wearisome, wearying, sterile, unexciting, dreary, humdrum, pedantic, pedestrian, demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting, jading, palling

Origin & Etymology of Intriguing

First known use: 1752

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Intriguing

Frequently Asked Questions about Intriguing

What does "Intriguing" mean?

"Intriguing" means engaging the interest to a marked degree, fascinating. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: engaging the interest to a marked degree, fascinating. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Intriguing"?

Other words for "Intriguing" include absorbing, arresting, consuming, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, fascinating and gripping. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Intriguing" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Intriguing"?

There are 92 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Intriguing". Common alternatives include absorbing, arresting, consuming, engaging, engrossing, enthralling, fascinating, gripping, immersing and interesting.

What is the opposite of "Intriguing"?

Antonyms of "Intriguing" include boring, drab, dry, dull, heavy, monotonous, tedious and uninteresting. Near antonyms include operose, tiresome, tiring and wearisome.

How do you use "Intriguing" in a sentence?

Examples of "Intriguing" in a sentence: "an intriguing concept that should engender much debate among climatologists"; "evidence that the leading manufacturers had intrigued to keep prices artificially high"; "the mystery story intrigued me so that I read it in one sitting".

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

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

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

As a C1-level word, "Intriguing" 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 "Intriguing"?

"Intriguing" is pronounced /in-ˈtrē-giŋ/ and divided into syllables as in·trigu·ing.