Meanings
present singular third person fascinates · participle present fascinating · participle past fascinated · past fascinated
- To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.
The flickering TV fascinated the cat.
- To make someone hold motionless; to spellbind.
We were fascinated by the potter's skill.
1 more example
Leo, too, was strangely touched. Hitherto he had been fascinated against his better judgment, something as a bird is fascinated by a snake, but now I think that all this passed away, and he realised that he really loved this strange and glorious creature, as, alas! I loved her also.
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC - To be irresistibly charming or attractive to.
Her gait fascinates all men.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbto render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
verbattract; cause to be enamored
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinfascinātus
- Englishfascinate
Borrowed from Latin fascinātus, perfect passive participle of fascinō (“to enchant, bewitch, fascinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fascinum (“a phallus-shaped amulet worn around the neck in Ancient Rome; witchcraft”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), itself of obscure origin.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans fassineer
- fassineerto evoke interest or attraction
Arabic فَتَنَ
- فَتَنَ (fatana)to evoke interest or attraction
Bulgarian привличам, очаровам
- привличам (privličam)to evoke interest or attraction
- очаровам (očarovam)to evoke interest or attraction
- омайвам (omajvam)to spellbind
Catalan fascinar
- fascinarto evoke interest or attraction
Chinese Mandarin 誘惑 /诱惑, 迷住
- 誘惑 /诱惑 (yòuhuò)to evoke interest or attraction
- 迷住 (mízhu)to evoke interest or attraction
- 吸引 (xīyǐn)to evoke interest or attraction
Czech fascinovat, fascinovat
- fascinovatto evoke interest or attraction
- fascinovatto spellbind
- okouzlitto spellbind
- okouzlitto be charming or attractive
Dutch fascineren
- fascinerento evoke interest or attraction
Esperanto fascini
- fascinito evoke interest or attraction
Finnish viehättää, lumoutua
- viehättääto evoke interest or attraction
- lumoutuato spellbind
- viehättääto be charming or attractive
French fasciner, fasciner
- fascinerto evoke interest or attraction
- fascinerto spellbind
- fascinerto be charming or attractive
German faszinieren, faszinieren
- faszinierento evoke interest or attraction
- faszinierento spellbind
- faszinierento be charming or attractive
- bezaubernto be charming or attractive
Greek συναρπάζω, συναρπάζω
- συναρπάζω (synarpázo)to evoke interest or attraction
- συναρπάζω (synarpázo)to spellbind
- γοητεύω (goïtévo)to be charming or attractive
- σαγηνεύω (saginévo)to be charming or attractive
Japanese 魅惑する
- 魅惑する (miwaku suru)to evoke interest or attraction
Latin fascinō, fascinō
- fascinōto evoke interest or attraction
- fascinōto spellbind
Māori manawarū, ātahu
- manawarūto evoke interest or attraction
- ātahuto be charming or attractive
Polish fascynować, zafascynować
- fascynowaćto evoke interest or attraction
- zafascynowaćto evoke interest or attraction
Portuguese fascinar
- fascinarto evoke interest or attraction
Russian очаро́вывать, очарова́ть
- очаро́вывать (očaróvyvatʹ)to evoke interest or attraction
- очарова́ть (očarovátʹ)to evoke interest or attraction
- завора́живать (zavoráživatʹ)to evoke interest or attraction
- очаро́вывать (očaróvyvatʹ)to be charming or attractive
- очарова́ть (očarovátʹ)to be charming or attractive
- пленя́ть (plenjátʹ)to be charming or attractive
- плени́ть (plenítʹ)to be charming or attractive
Spanish fascinar
- fascinarto evoke interest or attraction
Swedish fascinera, fascinera
- fascinerato evoke interest or attraction
- fascinerato spellbind
Tamil கவர்
- கவர் (kavar)to evoke interest or attraction
Ukrainian захо́плювати, зачаро́вувати
- захо́плювати (zaxópljuvaty)to evoke interest or attraction
- зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty)to spellbind
- зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty)to be charming or attractive
- чарува́ти (čaruváty)to be charming or attractive
Cite this entry
fascinate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fascinate
“fascinate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fascinate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fascinate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fascinate.
Source: fascinate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.