interesting
Americanadjective
-
engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity.
an interesting book.
- Synonyms:
- entertaining, absorbing
- Antonyms:
- dull
-
arousing a feeling of interest.
an interesting face.
idioms
adjective
Usage
What are other ways to say interesting? A person or a thing that is interesting arouses a feeling of curiosity or concern, or is engaging and exciting. But interesting isn’t quite the same as pleasing or gratifying. Find out why on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- interestingly adverb
- interestingness noun
- uninteresting adjective
- uninterestingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of interesting
Explanation
When you're giving a speech, you probably hope that your audience is gazing at you in fascination because what you're saying is so interesting, and not because you've got something weird on your face. The adjective interesting describes something that makes you curious, or catches your attention, but sometimes people use the word in a doubtful way when they are taken aback but want to be polite. Like if your grandmother looks at your new tattoo and says, "Well, that's certainly interesting!" Chances are she's not actually feeling very enthusiastic about your choice of body art.
Vocabulary lists containing interesting
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.
However, I was kind of like, “Really? How interesting that that is everyone’s perspective of me.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
"I saw it on eBay and thought that's an interesting shape... I can do something with that."
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Johannes Høesflot Klæbo, the greatest winter Olympian, shared interesting tidbits about himself with sports editor Joshua Robinson.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Commercial infrastructure is the least priced-in segment and the most structurally interesting.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Tolstoy was nowhere to be seen, and she was sorry not to have another chance to speak with the interesting young officer.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
