Meaning & use
captivate
Last updated
UK/ˈkæptɪveɪt/
US/ˈkæptəˌveɪt/
Meaning
verbtransitive
To hold someone's attention or admiration completely, as if charmed.
Grammar: Takes an object: the story captivated the children.
Patterns
- captivate someone
- captivate an audience
The magician's tricks captivated the children.
Her voice captivated everyone in the hall.
The old film still captivates new viewers.
Word forms
| third person singular | captivates |
|---|---|
| past tense | captivated |
| past participle | captivated |
| -ing form | captivating |
Common combinations
- captivate an audience
- The storyteller captivated the audience.
- captivate the imagination
- The photographs captivated the public imagination.
- captivated by
- She was captivated by the view.
- easily captivate
- Bright lights easily captivate toddlers.
- captivate readers
- The opening paragraph will captivate readers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enchant
- Enchant suggests a magical, delightful spell, while captivate focuses on holding attention.
- fascinate
- Fascinate stresses strong interest, whereas captivate also suggests charm or attraction.
- charm
- Charm is lighter and often describes winning someone over socially.
- mesmerize
- Mesmerize implies a trance-like grip, stronger than captivate.
Opposites
Word family
- captivating adjective
- charming and attention-holding
- captivation noun
- the state of being charmed
- captive noun
- a prisoner
- captivity noun
- the state of being held prisoner
Commonly confused: captivate or capture?
captivate vs capture
Capture means to take by force or record something, while captivate means to win over someone's attention.
Practice
The pianist's performance ___ the audience from the first note.
Choose one answer.
Captivated means held their attention completely. The others would not fit a pleased audience.
Make it your own
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