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”
Explanation
Anything that sparks your interest or makes you wonder has the ability to fascinate. If you catch someone's interest, and then hold it, you fascinate them. Be careful. The word fascinate actually comes from Latin and French words meaning "witchcraft," and although these days fascinate is used under much tamer circumstances, there is some sense in the word that the person's appeal is not quite normal: there might be a spell-like quality to his or her charms. Thus, the word is often used to describe a new love. On the other hand, you might find the study of exotic beetles fascinating. To each his own.
Vocabulary lists containing fascinate
Woman Hollering Creek
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I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005
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Lessons 2–3
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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.
Female friendships fascinate Tessa Thompson—especially the ones that go awry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026
But the subject also appears to fascinate him.
From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025
Why does this planet fascinate people so much?
From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025
“In her 1970 tome ‘The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft,’ Kathryn Paulsen said, ‘You may fascinate a woman by giving her a piece of cheese.’
From Salon • Oct. 12, 2025
I really have hustler friends and jazz musician friends—I’m becoming part of the two corners of Harlem that fascinate me most.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
