Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To hold an intense interest or attraction for. See Synonyms at charm.
- v. To hold motionless; spellbind.
- v. Obsolete To bewitch.
- v. To be irresistibly charming or attractive.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To bewitch; act on by witchcraft or by some analogous powerful or irresistible influence; hence, to influence the imagination, reason, or will of in an uncontrollable manner.
- To enchant; captivate; excite the passions or affections of, and allure powerfully or irresistibly.
- Synonyms Charm, etc. (see enchant); to throw or bring under a spell, hold spell-bound, entrance, enamour.
- To exercise a bewitching or captivating power.
Wiktionary
- v. To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone
- v. To make someone hold motionless; to spellbind
- v. To be irresistibly charming or attractive to
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To influence in an uncontrollable manner; to operate on by some powerful or irresistible charm; to bewitch; to enchant.
- v. To excite and allure irresistibly or powerfully; to charm; to captivate, as by physical or mental charms.
WordNet 3.0
- v. attract; cause to be enamored
- v. cause to be interested or curious
- v. to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
Etymologies
- From Latin fascinātus, perfect passive participle of fascinō ("enchant, bewitch, fascinate"), from fascinum ("a phallus-shaped amulet worn around the neck used in Ancient Rome; witchcraft"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin fascināre, fascināt-, to cast a spell on, from fascinum, an evil spell, a phallic-shaped amulet. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word fascinate comes from a Latin word meaning "spell" or "witchcraft.”
“It is interesting that the root of the word 'fascinate' comes from the French, 'fasciner' meaning to entrance or charm, as in witchcraft, while our modern usage of the term still relates to the meaning, to be bewitched or held spell bound.”
“People like Rove and his cronies both horrify and fascinate, which is why they get any attention at all.”
“I also highly recommend Sally Hogshead's Fascinate for more on how to "fascinate" others -- now, when they need it most.”
The Huffington Post: Richard Laermer: Seven Signs The Recession's Still Ramming Us
“It never ceases to fascinate me just exactly how stupid forever remains a substantial percentage of human males, of any nationality, all around the earth.”
“Sometimes things just fascinate me and this very successful and informative Internet site was one of them.”
How long has MexConnect been around . . . what is the history of Mexconnect? Who started Mexconnect?
“The letters are captivating, making "Dear Jay, Love Dad" a book that will fascinate anyone interested in college football, the politics of the 1960s or the state of Oklahoma.”
“I caught sight of him in the 2006 Beck's Futures and he has never made anything that didn't fascinate ever since.”
“I was just telling the esteemed Mr. Wright that I read his Golden Age just at a time when I was questioning the genre's ability to fascinate me.”
MIND MELD: Books That Hold Special Places in Our Hearts and On Our Shelves
“They fascinate me with their astuteness, intelligence and generosity.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘fascinate’.
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Come right this way!
Words that draw us toward an object or destination.
lure, tempt, suck in, summon, seduce, pull, persuade, inveigle, fascinate, entrap, enchant, draw and 12 more...
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I am : mystified
As in, 'confused' and 'entranced' both.
mystify, entrance, enrapture, puzzle, ensorcell, confound, mesmerize, confuse, bewitch, captivate, beguile, fascinate and 11 more...
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charms
all sorts of ...fortune, gnome, green, chance, luck, gheluc, success, good, spells, hypnotic, prosperity, blessing and 38 more...
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eggplantia5's Words
scintillate, marvel, cranberry, oscillate, triumph, bamboozle, grimace, magical, book, hexagon, cipher, compendium and 2727 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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a few of my favorite words
these are some of my favorite words...
brilliant, delicious, lovely, ever, with, present, here, light, radiant, bright, beauty, live and 209 more...
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How I feel about you:
The sound of my name spoken by your lips... I need a word for that.
love, lust, secret, honey, milky, touch, flesh, skin, neptune, kiss, wet, taste and 82 more...
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sensual
for the books
delicate, delicious, demure, dwell, content, daring, contortion, eager, desire, covert, chasm, easily and 29 more...
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vocab set 3
alternative, barter, commerce, confine, evolve, expand, expire, exploit, formal, inheritable, integral, mobility and 23 more...
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I Put a Spell on You
charm, hex, incantation, bewitch, trance, jinx, voodoo, curse, enchant, mojo, hypnotic, captivate and 9 more...
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Naughty to Nice
Once negative words that have become positive.
Tweets
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