curiosity

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“
For his curiosity was aroused.

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Definitions (16)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. noun A desire to know or learn.
  2. noun A desire to know about people or things that do not concern one; nosiness.
  3. noun An object that arouses interest, as by being novel or extraordinary: kept the carved bone and displayed it as a curiosity.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (8)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Sufficient for my curiosity were the facts that, by means of controlled light reflections, Peter Bill hoped to pene­trate the little world of his precious in­sects and thus obtain a wealth of fine detail which heretofore had been com­pletely overlooked. —  Astounding Stories January, 1935
  • The result of her curiosity is the book America Swings (Taschen, $500), which was named as one of the ten best photography books of 2009 by American Photo. —  State of the Art
  • Another curiosity is a Java ME based engine running on a Nokia phone, which is currently being trounced by the other engines. —  We Blog A Lot
  • Larry The Homicidal Maniac, and I think I'm safe in guessing your curiosity is aroused. —  Herohill
  • In 1919, his curiosity was aroused after observing a child who showed an irrational fear of dogs. —  Damn Interesting
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

admiration ·  amusement ·  anxiety ·  pride ·  sympathy ·  anger ·  apprehension ·  pity ·  vanity ·  impatience ·  contempt

Used in the same contextWord Family

curiosity:   curiosities
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English curiosite, from Old French, from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōsus, inquisitive; see curious.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English curiositie, from Middle English curiosite, curiouste, curiosity, care, from Old French curiosete, curiosite, French curiosité = Provencal curiositat, curiozetat = Spanish curiosidad = Portuguese curiosidade = Italian curiosità, from Latin curiosita(t-)s, curiosity, from curiosus, curious: see curious.
 

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/kjurɪˈɑsəti/
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