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Synonyms

absorbing

American  
[ab-sawr-bing, -zawr-] / æbˈsɔr bɪŋ, -ˈzɔr- /

adjective

  1. extremely interesting; deeply engrossing.

    an absorbing drama.
absorbing British  
/ -ˈzɔːb-, əbˈsɔːbɪŋ /

adjective

  1. occupying one's interest or attention; engrossing; gripping

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • absorbingly adverb
  • nonabsorbing adjective
  • unabsorbing adjective
  • unabsorbingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of absorbing

First recorded in 1745–55; absorb + -ing 2

Vocabulary lists containing absorbing

12 More Interesting Ways to Say "interesting"

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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.

LACMA’s staff was elated, especially those who have been watching the project develop for decades and absorbing the large amounts of criticism that have accompanied its manifestation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The World Meteorological Organization warns the Earth is now further out of balance than at any time in recorded history, with the planet absorbing far more heat than it can release.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

For retirees living on fixed incomes, absorbing that inflation is particularly hard.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

Kim, absorbing North Korea’s first major combat losses in many decades, has lavished surviving families with banquets, gold medals and new Pyongyang apartments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

I stare at the screen, absorbing word by word a sliver of my life that changed everything.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

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.