She fascinated him, both on and off stage. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: entrance, delight, charm, absorb More Synonyms of fascinate
fascinate in British English
(ˈfæsɪˌneɪt)
verb(mainly tr)
1.
to attract and delight by arousing interest or curiosity
his stories fascinated me for hours
2.
to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
3. archaic
to put under a spell
▶ USAGE A person can be fascinated by or with another person or thing. It is correct to speak of someone's fascination with a person or thing; one can also say a person or thing has a fascination for someone
Derived forms
fascination (ˌfasciˈnation)
noun
fascinative (ˈfascinative)
adjective
Word origin
C16: from Latin fascināre, from fascinum a bewitching
fascinate in American English
(ˈfæsəˌneɪt)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfasciˌnated or ˈfasciˌnating
1. Obsolete
to put under a spell; bewitch
2.
to attract or hold motionless, as by a fixed look or by inspiring terror
3.
to hold the attention of by being very interesting or delightful; charm; captivate
SIMILAR WORDS: atˈtract
Derived forms
fascinatingly (ˈfasciˌnatingly)
adverb
Word origin
< L fascinatus, pp. of fascinare, to bewitch, charm < fascinum, a charm < ? or akin to Gr baskanos, sorcerer
Examples of 'fascinate' in a sentence
fascinate
Or, deliberate, she would crouch and fascinate me with her eyes.
Doris Lessing ON CATS (2002)
She knew that the stories of how the orchids had been found and brought home to the orangery would fascinate him.
Thomas, Rosie THE WHITE DOVE (2002)
What will happen if I give in to the sensations that both frighten and fascinate me?
Elizabeth Lowell WHERE THE HEART IS (2002)
In other languages
fascinate
British English: fascinate VERB
If something fascinates you, it interests and delights you so much that your thoughts tend to concentrate on it.
Politics fascinated his father.
American English: fascinate
Brazilian Portuguese: fascinar
Chinese: 使着迷
European Spanish: fascinar
French: fasciner
German: faszinieren
Italian: affascinare
Japanese: 魅惑する
Korean: 매혹시키다
European Portuguese: fascinar
Latin American Spanish: fascinar
Chinese translation of 'fascinate'
fascinate
(ˈfæsɪneɪt)
vt
(= intrigue, interest) 使着(著)迷 (shǐ zháomí)
(verb)
Definition
to attract and delight by arousing interest
She fascinated us, on and off stage.
Synonyms
entrance
She entranced the audience with her classical Indian singing.
delight
The report has delighted environmentalists.
charm
My sister charms everyone she meets.
absorb
a second career which absorbed her more completely than acting ever had
intrigue
The novelty of the situation intrigued him.
enchant
This book will enchant readers.
rivet
captivate
I was captivated by her sparkling personality.
enthral
Children and adults alike are enthralled by his stories.
beguile
Her paintings beguiled the critics.
allure
The dog was allured by the smell of roasting meat.
bewitch
She was not moving, as if someone had bewitched her.
ravish
an eerie power to ravish the eye and seduce the soul
transfix
We were all transfixed by the images of war.
mesmerize
There was something about her which mesmerized him.
hypnotize
He's hypnotized by that black hair and that white face.
engross
enrapture
interest greatly
enamour
hold spellbound
spellbind
infatuate
Opposites
bore
,
disgust
,
irritate
,
alienate
,
sicken
,
jade
,
put you off
,
turn you off (informal)
,
disenchant
Additional synonyms
in the sense of absorb
Definition
to engage the interest of someone
a second career which absorbed her more completely than acting ever had
Synonyms
engross,
hold,
involve,
fill,
arrest,
fix,
occupy,
engage,
fascinate,
preoccupy,
engulf,
fill up,
immerse,
rivet,
captivate,
monopolize,
enwrap
in the sense of allure
The dog was allured by the smell of roasting meat.