Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Inclined to investigate; eager for knowledge.
- adj. Unduly curious and inquiring. See Synonyms at curious.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Addicted to inquiry or research; disposed to seek information; given to prying into matters; eagerly curious.
- Marked by inquiry; questioning; curious; hence, searching out; bringing to view.
- Synonyms Prying, etc. (see curious), inquiring.
Wiktionary
- adj. Eager to acquire knowledge.
- adj. Too curious; overly interested; nosy.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Disposed to ask questions, especially in matters which do not concern the inquirer.
- adj. Given to examination, investigation, or research; searching; curious.
- n. A person who is inquisitive; one curious in research.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. showing curiosity
- adj. inquiring or appearing to inquire
Etymologies
- Middle English inquisitif, from Old French, from Late Latin inquīsītīvus, from Latin inquīsītus, past participle of inquīrere, to inquire; see inquire.
Examples
“First Impression: Walter is described as an inquisitive thinker who loves reading, chess, bird watching, and other old-fashioned activities.”
“ A pause, then, "What do you call the inquisitive lump of hair with the educated nose that accompanies you?”
Lost And Found
“Obama also made it known -- much to the chagrin of many 'inquisitive' reporters --- that the buck stops with him.”
Christine Pelosi: Can Obama's Big Tent Team of Friends and Rivals Really Deliver Change?
“As proof, he offers his observation that the natives he has met were "inquisitive" and "clever.”
Building a Better Llama, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
“I'm going to aim for "inquisitive" and hopefully get farther than that.”
“I don't quite see why any one sh'd elect to take a hand in any such doin's unless he has to," the Kentuckian resumed, after a pause; "that census business seems kind of inquisitive some way to me.”
“She looked at Mrs. Bellew, on whose face was a kind of inquisitive compassion, with eyes that had never before held hatred.”
“But the war had not reached its end when, in 1645, a little group of students were to be seen in London, men "inquisitive," says one of them,”
“At length, Father Anthony gave a kind of inquisitive, dry cough, by way of experiment, which was instantly responded to by another cough equally dry and mysterious.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘inquisitive’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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