1
as in appealing
having an often mysterious or magical power to attract
the fascinating cities and peoples of central Asia have been intriguing travelers at least since the time of Marco Polo
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2
as in interesting
holding the attention or provoking interest
the fascinating—but dubious—legend that Pocahontas rescued John Smith from certain death
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1
as in charming
to attract or delight as if by magic
for years the zoo's family of giant pandas have fascinated visitors
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2
as in enchanting
to hold the attention of as if by a spell
I can gaze at the sea for hours, fascinated by the never-ending waves crashing upon the shore
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3
as in intriguing
to hold the attention of
the subject of artificial intelligence fascinates me
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fascinating
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
So while Ayers snapped her picture far away from lightning’s direct effects, the photo can still help researchers better understand these fascinating and powerful occurrences.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fascinating
Adjective
That quote from Illinois football coach Bret Bielema, from the fascinating weekend reporting from my colleague Bruce Feldman about a surprising postseason with an unexpected College Football Playoff final four (being played tomorrow and Friday), has stuck with me for a few days.
—Verb
Wilentz, author of the 2010 book Dylan in America, wrote Volume 18‘s detailed, often fascinating 125-page liner notes that provides historical context for the expansive eight-CD set.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for fascinating
Adjective
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North Texas is both everything that makes college football so irresistibly fun and appealing, while also serving as the worst example of the current model.—
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The brand is a regular on Oprah's Favorite Things lists, which only makes this deal more appealing.—
Adjective
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The Cowboys have mastered the art of entertaining and interesting better than any sports franchise in the world, but there is a redundancy that to the person who spends a lot of their money on it is justifiably checked out.—
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Seeing these guys unapologetically portrayed by an actor whose superpower is the audience is always with him was interesting.—
Verb
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That group of Democrats sees Mamdani as having scored a political victory by charming the president.—
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There’s even a growing market for clunky-but-charming mini cathode-ray-style TVs — and boomboxes with streaming capability.—
Verb
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If that wasn't enchanting enough, they were then joined by their original Broadway counterparts, Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda) and Idina Menzel (Elphaba).—
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Even the most incredulous of us listened to him describe the visions of fleeting stars that were enchanting enough to swoon the most beautiful people on this poor Earth.—
Verb
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Our guide to the best upcoming sci-fi movies in 2026 features a blockbuster mix of popular franchises, intriguing one-offs, and one of the greatest directors of all time heading back to alien visitation territory.—
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New York has intriguing young outfielders in Jasson Domínguez and Spencer jones, but Bellinger was the team's second best player in the lineup this season.—
Adjective
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Youthful, well-dressed, and charismatic, TBPN is making Silicon Valley wealth look fun again.—
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However, Venezuelans identify Machado, not González, as the winner, and the charismatic opposition leader has remained the voice of the campaign, pushing for international support and insisting her movement will replace Maduro.—
Adjective
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Their ongoing collaboration makes for an eclectic and engaging body of work.—
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Another way to make snowshoeing even more engaging?—
Verb
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Similar to fellow Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze — another keen chess player — the assumption would be that the skills taken from the board game have helped Zubimendi be a step ahead in enticing and then bypassing opposition players.—
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Fringe areas on the outskirts of Denver proper and the suburbs are enticing for new locations.—
Cite this Entry
“Fascinating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fascinating. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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