entranced

Meanings

1. 1adjectiveafter a verb

   So delighted or fascinated by something that you pay attention to nothing else.

   Grammar: Usually follows a linking verb and takes by or with: she was entranced by the music.

   Patterns

   • entranced by something
   • entranced with something

   The children sat entranced by the puppet show.

   He watched, entranced, as the glassblower shaped the vase.

   We were entranced with the view from the summit.

2. 2verbtransitive

   Past tense and past participle of entrance, meaning to fill someone with wonder or put them in a trance.

   Grammar: Takes an object: the singer entranced the crowd.

   Patterns

   • entrance someone

   The magician entranced the audience with a single trick.

   Her voice entranced everyone in the room.

Common combinations

look entranced

The toddler looked entranced by the bubbles.

listen entranced

They listened entranced to the old sailor's tales.

entranced by

Visitors are entranced by the lantern festival.

completely entranced

I was completely entranced by the first page.

Synonyms and how they differ

enchanted

Enchanted suggests being charmed as if by magic, while entranced stresses total absorption.

captivated

Captivated is warmer and more ordinary, and need not mean ignoring everything around you.

mesmerized

Mesmerized implies an almost hypnotic hold, and is stronger than entranced in suggesting loss of will.

Opposites

Word family

entrance verb

to fill someone with wonder or delight

entrancing adjective

delightful and capturing all your attention

entrancement noun

the state of being entranced

trance noun

a half-conscious state, the root of the word

Commonly confused: entranced or entrance?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “entranced”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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