mesmerizing

[ mez-muh-rahy-zing, mes- ]

adjective

1. completely engrossing; captivating or fascinating:

   He spoke to us extemporaneously for at least two hours, weaving a mesmerizing tapestry of wisdom.

2. hypnotic or hypnotizing; having a trancelike effect similar to hypnosis:

   The song’s simple repetition of the word “Hallelujah” is comforting, mesmerizing, and uplifting.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mesmerizing¹

mesmeriz(e) ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Example Sentences

Little is explained but much can be guessed about Rogowski’s character, whom the great German actor can’t help but make into a mesmerizing figure of storybook fragility.

From Los Angeles Times

A way to look at emergent behavior — the coordinated and mesmerizing flight of a flock of birds, for instance.

From Los Angeles Times

The music was really unusual and, honestly, kind of mesmerizing.

From Los Angeles Times

He pulled up another picture of a gallery in Italy filled with one of his mesmerizing living paintings.

From Los Angeles Times

Not just because his Lamb is such a messy, mesmerizing figure who gets all the best lines, but because he is suspicious of heroism, or at least the performative aspects of it.

From Los Angeles Times