mesmerized

[ mez-muh-rahyzd, mes ]

adjective

1. in a hypnotic or trancelike state; hypnotized:

   “I could create the odor of any kind of fruit and make a mesmerized person taste and smell it,” wrote 19th-century psychic Phineas Quimby.

2. having the attention completely absorbed; fascinated, captivated, or spellbound:

   At our first annual poetry slam, 28 students wielded their verbal prowess in front of a mesmerized audience of over 300.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of mesmerize.

Other Words From

• un·mes·mer·ized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mesmerized¹

First recorded in 1825–35; mesmerize ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; mesmerize ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Salon goes through the ways Hernández has mesmerized audiences across the country.

From Salon

I was reading a journal he kept in prison, and I was mesmerized by the quality of his writing and the precision of his observations.

From Salon

They remain mesmerized by all he has accomplished as a shortstop thus far.

From Los Angeles Times

That Sunday boasted quite a bill: Ravi Shankar mesmerized the crowd with a set of ragas that lasted more than three hours.

From New York Times

These three queens mesmerized me as a teenage closet case in the ’80s.

From New York Times

Related Words

• absorbed
• aroused
• delighted
• enamored
• enchanted
• enthralled
• excited
• intoxicated
• thrilled