captivating

cap·tiv·at·ing
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UK/ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/US[ˈkæptɪveɪɾɪŋ]Australia/ˈkæptɪvæɪtɪŋ/Australia[ˈkæptɪvæɪɾɪŋ]

adjective

That captivates; fascinating.

Similar
bewitchingenchantingenthrallingentrancingfascinatingattractive
Less commonScrabble 19
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Meanings

adjectivecaptivating (comparative more captivating, superlative most captivating)

comparative more captivating · superlative most captivating

  1. That captivates; fascinating.
  2. Very beautiful or attractive.

    [T]he eye is delighted by a continual succession of small landscapes of captivating loveliness.

    1819 July 31, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rural Life in England”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number II, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 134
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of captivate

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivecapturing interest as if by a spell

Similar
bewitchingenchantingenthrallingentrancingfascinatingattractive
Also see
arrestiveattractivebeautifulbewitchingcharmingcomelydivineenchantingenthrallingenticingentrancingesculentfascinatingfetchinghothypnoticillecebrousmagicalmagneticpengpersonablesuperdeliciouswitching

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From captivate + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic أَخَّاذ
  • أَخَّاذ (ʔaḵḵāḏ)beautiful
Catalan captivador
  • captivadorbeautiful
Dutch boeiend, bekoorlijk
  • boeiendbeautiful
  • bekoorlijkbeautiful
Finnish kiehtova, mukaansatempaava
  • kiehtovabeautiful
  • mukaansatempaavabeautiful
French captivant, passionnant
  • captivantbeautiful
  • passionnantbeautiful
  • fascinantbeautiful
  • prenantbeautiful
Hindi चित्ताकर्षक
  • चित्ताकर्षक (cittākarṣak)beautiful
Italian accattivante, affascinante
  • accattivantebeautiful
  • affascinantebeautiful
Portuguese cativante, fascinante
  • cativantebeautiful
  • fascinantebeautiful
  • envolventebeautiful
  • encantadorbeautiful
Russian очаровательный, пленительный
  • очаровательный (očarovatelʹnyj)beautiful
  • пленительный (plenitelʹnyj)beautiful
Spanish arrebatador, cautivador
  • arrebatadorbeautiful
  • cautivadorbeautiful
  • hechizantebeautiful
  • embelesadorbeautiful
  • hechicerobeautiful
  • captivantebeautiful
  • cautivantebeautiful
Cite this entry
APA

captivating. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/captivating

MLA

“captivating.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/captivating. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “captivating,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/captivating.

Source: captivating on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.